Impossibly Alone
by Fanfiction Bard
Summary: Once Upon a Time crossover. Slight AU. Sora, Riku, and Kairi are taken by the Dark Curse, with their memories wiped, their loved ones forgotten, and their happy endings taken away. Can they remember who they are, find their friends, and face a foe more powerful than they ever could have imagined? Sora/Kairi, Aqua/Terra, Yuffie/Riku, Cloud/Tifa.
1. Chapter 1

**I owe the inspiration for this story to the fanfics, "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" by Gohan Roxas and "Freeing from the Curse" by DenizenofTwilight. I read them, and I wondered why there weren't more KH/OUAT crossovers. I thought that stories like those have a lot of potential. So, naturally, I took the opportunity.**

**Basically, characters from KH are going to have been taken to Storybrooke and their memories wiped by the Curse, but not all of them, mind you. I'm using everyone from Traverse Town, and Destiny Islands. Characters from Disney Castle and some other worlds will be left intact. The first few chapters will be the introduction to the characters, and the main plot will come in after.**

**WARNING: a lot of these characters are going to be OOC, but that's only because of their Curse identities. In Storybrooke, they're not much like their original selves, if not polar opposites, because the Curse destroys all the characters hold dear. Also, the rating might go up. For now, it's just rated T for language and adult references.**

**Another thing, I've got two other stories currently, both of which are long overdue for updates, so I can't guarantee quick any updates for this. But rest assured that I will not discontinue. That's a promise.**

**IMPORTANT!: I'm going to be moving this to the KH/OUAT crossovers section after a few chapters, so don't panic if you can't find it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.**

CHAPTER 1

Jake Shaffer silently thanked the deity he never believed in when the last bell finally rang, and saved him from the hour of purgatory some called biology class.

"Don't forget guys, test tomorrow!" Called the teacher to the students, who were all too eager to get out that door. Jake just rolled his eyes at the imbeciles that pushed and shoved to get out of the classroom, and waited patiently for enough room for him to leave. It wasn't as if he wouldn't push and shove, but he was nowhere near strong enough, and he wanted to avoid that kind of attention.

Nobody spared him a second glance as he walked through the hallway. No one came up next to him and asked how he was doing, or to bid him goodbye for the day. He was the school pariah, the one kid nobody seemed to notice. It was quite a remarkable feat, really. There were kids he sat next to for as long as he could remember, and they didn't even know his name.

Not that he minded. He just viewed school and being around people in general as if it was a necessary evil, something to get through and get over with as soon as possible. Nothing worth making friends over.

Jake heard loud obnoxious laughter that could only belong to the most popular kid in school. He turned to see Tyler Canton, laughing with his friends. His long hair that hooded much of his face was platinum blond, but one could get away with calling it silver. His aqua blue eyes were just visible behind the bangs. He was handsome in the "don't give a damn and proud of it" kind of way that made girls swoon. Tyler always wore sleeveless t-shirts that were about three sizes too small for him, just to show off his muscular build. The guy was living, breathing proof that looks were only skin deep, because he was a grade A (no pun intended because his grades are just plain sad) asshole.

Beside Tyler was his best friend Rick Myers, equally popular, and equally stupid. He was held back several years, but never told exactly how many. He had long, spikey black hair that had enough product to drown a cat, and steel blue eyes that told of insufferable arrogance. That kid had to be the biggest man-whore in the entire school, flirting shamelessly with absolutely anyone who had two X chromosomes, and thought he was the answer to the prayers of every female on the planet. It was a miracle he wasn't even a father yet, and if he was, no one heard about it.

Jake sneered at the sight of them. People like them made him sick, people who thought that the world revolved around them, and everyone else was made for their own convenience. The two had never paid Jake any heed, and when they did, they only told him to get the hell out of their way, or calling him an ugly fag. Luckily today, they were too immersed in when the next football game was or their date with another girl.

His mind still wrapped in his hatred for the two jocks, Jake was helpless to bump into someone He fell on the floor in a daze, thankful that everyone was too focused on getting out of school to see two people bump into each other in the hallway.

Jake looked up to see the idiot who bumped into him, and was greeted with a flurry of apologies.

"Sorry! Sorry! It was my fault, I wasn't looking. I'm sorry," Jake saw two violet-blue eyes on a beautiful face, framed by dark red hair that fell past thin, elfin shoulders. She stood up, revealing her to be not much taller than Jake. The fallen boy knew who this was. Allison Hewett, his longtime crush.

"You okay?" Allison reached out her hand to help him up. Jake immediately blushed and froze for a second. He finally managed to steel himself and took back the persona of the antisocial, bitter, misanthropic outcast everyone knew and ignored.

"I'm fine," Jake said coldly as he got up himself and walked past the confused girl, mentally stabbing himself in the crotch.

_Nice, Shaffer. Real nice._

Those two words were the first words he ever said to Allison. The two had never talked before. They had three classes together, but she never paid any attention to him, and treated him just like everyone else, like an empty space.

Actually, not like everyone else, because while most people either ignored him or bullied him, Allison just ignored him. Maybe not consciously, but she never noticed him. Of all the kids in the school, she was probably the nicest, but that was hardly saying anything. Jake doubted she even knew his name.

Jake knew he wasn't what girls would call Tyler and Rick, but he wasn't hideous either. Sure, girls treated him like he had leprosy, but Jake figured it was because of his place in the social pecking order.

He had his chance to finally talk to her, and he just brushed off her offer for help, and talked to her like he did with everyone in school; with unhidden disdain.

_Ah well,_ Jake thought to himself. _Doesn't matter. Sure, she's pretty, but probably nothing else. Just a fag like the rest of them._

Concluding that what he felt for Allison was nothing more than teenage hormones, Jake walked the streets of Storybrooke to his house. His mom wasn't home, so he guessed she was working. She was a locksmith, something she's been doing for years. It didn't make them rich, but it let them get by. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, Jake would come by and help out. He was especially good with making keys. He knew how weird it sounded, loving keys, but he would always get a familiar sensation when holding one.

Jake guessed that keys would be the only friends he'd ever have. How pathetic was that? While some of the kids at his school had sports, art, literature, and academics, he had keys.

It's all been like this for as long as Jake could remember. He hated life.

Well, that's not necessarily true. He didn't hate life per se, he just hated most of the people in his life.

Either way, Jake always felt as if many things in his life were missing.

**In case you haven't figured it out, Jake is Sora, Tyler is Riku, Allison is Kairi, and Rick is Zack.**

**I'll try to bring the next update as soon as I can. I have other stories as well, so this one is just one of my priorities. Until then, review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter. So, I lied a bit when I said that the updates won't be that long. But that's only because a) I haven't had anything else to do all day, and b) I've finally buckled down and got some writing done. You can expect fast updates from now until the end of August, that's when classes start. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed first! This chapter's dedicated to all of you!**

**Dark Mage 13XIII- Thanks for being the first one to review! And I just read your fanfic, and it's awesome! I like making stories that are realistic, yet fantastical. I'm glad that you like how I portray Sora's Storybrooke identity. I wanted to make him into the opposite of who he really is, and since Regina wanted him to suffer, him being a hero and all, she'd obviously want him to become separate from his friends. As for where it's going to go, the first few chapters will be about the characters. After that, well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? ;)**

**miano53- I'm not familiar with some of the Kingdom Hearts characters, mainly because most of my knowledge comes from online gameplays. As I've said, the characters from Traverse Town and Destiny Islands will be taken by the Curse. Plus, everyone is taken by the Curse after the events of KH 3, when their bad guy is defeated and they get their happy ending. The events of OUAT and KH will be interwoven in ways that will include everything that happens in KH, but will have all the OUAT characters instead. Just bear with me. And yes, Mary Margaret, along with all the other OUAT characters will appear, so don't you worry! I'm glad you'll read more. It means a lot to have dedicated readers, and at so early in the story.**

**Nicole Peach- yup. I see I've met another Sora/Kairi fan! As for the character names, well, I confess that I got most of their first names from the actors that voice them, others I just thought of. The surnames, I used an online generator. So I'm not the only one who can't think of original names by themself, so don't feel bad! :P As for the relationship between Sora and Kairi, well you'll just have to find out! Mwahaha!**

**IMPORTANT: Everyone is taken by the Curse after the events of KH 3, whatever outcome that brings. It'll just be when everyone lives happily ever after, only to be sucked out of their happiness by the Curse. The events of OUAT and KH will be interwoven in ways that will include what happens in KH, but will have all the OUAT characters instead.**

**Also, I felt that I should mention this in the first chapter. If you didn't already look, I put it in the description. The romance going on will be Sora/Kairi. I just plain damn love the couple! Also, there is a strong likelihood of other couples, though I haven't decided what yet. If you have any ideas, PM me or leave it in a review, but PM me if you can. I want to keep the storyline a surprise! Keep it serious, though! I don't want any outrageous threesomes! I want this story to be as realistic as possible!**

**This chapter has Leon, Terra, Cid, Cloud, and Lea!**

CHAPTER 2

_Another day_, Doug thought as he pushed the seats back into place and began to wipe down the table. _Another paycheck_.

Working at the Rabbit Hole wasn't a bad deal. Sure, the pay wasn't that great, but with nothing else to do, he worked overtime a lot. Doug found that it relaxed him and cleared his mind.

You'd expect someone working as a busboy to have some people skills, but Doug was an exception. He hardly ever engaged in a conversation, only giving as few worded an answer as possible, and never spoke unless spoken to. His mysterious nature and rugged looks granted him more conversations with women than he'd like, but that was just it. They'd let him go, but few others were as good at his job, let alone work overtime, so they let him stay. Plus, he was intimidating enough to strike fear into the hearts of anyone causing trouble, so because of him, the Rabbit Hole never had any drunken fights or brawls.

Needless to say, though, Doug didn't have many people he could call friends.

"How ya doin' Doug?" said a lazy voice from the front counter. It was more of a statement and less of a question, which came from one of the Rabbit Hole's most frequent visitors, who, like all of them, came here for the sole purpose of drinking.

Ryan was a fisherman that worked at the docks, who liked to spend a fair amount of his money on drinks. It was a miracle he still had enough to pay rent. Doug guessed that the apartment was just crappy and cheap enough to be affordable, but never said it aloud. Ryan almost looked a bit like Doug, both with brown hair, both unkempt, long, and messy. They both had blue eyes, but Doug's was steel blue and Ryan's was royal blue. Same height, same build though. Appearance and personality wise, you could easily mistake them for being brothers. They were both distant to other people, Ryan only coming to the Rabbit Hole to drink and Doug to work. They managed to become well acquainted with each other. They were able to call the other a friend, being able to communicate to each other better than other people, and actually have a conversation that was longer than ten words. Right now, Ryan's voice was missing its usual drunken slur, indicating that he had some serious drinking to do tonight.

"Hey Ryan," Doug answered. "Good. You?"

"Doin' shitty," Ryan said bluntly as the bartender got him his usual, a Samuel Adams. He took a long swig of his beer. "No good catches today," Ryan groaned. "And rent's due in two days." Another swig.

Ryan never liked being a fisherman. It was tedious, boring, and the constant smell of fish didn't make fishing an attractive option. But beggars can't be choosers, and there weren't many options for jobs available. Storybrooke wasn't that big, and for some reason, he felt like leaving town wasn't an option. He wanted to leave town, though, to fill in what felt so…missing for as long as he could remember. Whatever that was. Ryan didn't know why he still stayed. He didn't have any friends aside from Doug, and they never really hung out socially, aside from seeing each other at the Rabbit Hole.

"You know," that cynical, sarcastic, and apathetic tone that was famous to everyone who knew Doug came. "If you want to be able to pay your rent, then you shouldn't burn it all on beer." Ryan answered with another swig, and a needy expression on his face that Doug knew too well.

"No," Doug answered like a mother denying their kid another cookie. "I'm done with piggybacking your lazy ass."

"Doug, man-" Ryan started by was cut off.

"Don't 'Doug man' me. Do I look like a bank to you? And you said you'd pay me back. And still; nothing," Doug's voice was steady and measured, but it sent a clear message. "I'm not gonna take care of your problems for you, you lazy drunk."

"Doug, please," Ryan persisted. "Gold's gonna evict me if I don't have the money, Doug. I'll be out on the street." Doug knew Ryan was telling the truth. Mr. Gold had the town in his pocket as much as that evil hellcat of a Mayor did. When it came to collecting his end of the bargain, the pawnbroker showed no mercy, so begging for more time on the rent was out of the question.

Ryan didn't like it either. He hated having to rely on other people, especially when they owed him nothing and at their own expense. But if he learned anything, it was that sometimes, you need to swallow your pride to make it.

"Look, I've got most of the money," Ryan continued. "Hell, all I need is two hundred. I can pay that back in a month, at least."

Doug sighed. He knew that he was going to give Ryan the money no matter what. He cared way too much about his friends. Not that he had many, and that was the exact reason why. When you had friends, you had someone you put before yourself. And in a dog-eat-dog world like this one, you can't afford to have that.

Still, Doug never had a shortage of money, and he wouldn't be missing a dime if he gave Ryan the Loan.

"Fine, fine," Doug said coldly as Ryan beamed. "But this is the last time I'm takin' your fall for you."

Doug has been saying those exact words for as long as he could remember. But that's the thing, he couldn't remember the _first_ time he said it. Or the first time he started loaning Ryan money, for that matter.

_Jesus H. Christ_, Doug thought. I'm _the one who needs a damn drink_.

* * *

"I keep telling you, goddammit!" Steven shouted at the muscled-head, testosterone hooked teenager. "We don't give alcohol to minors! Now beat it!"

"And I keep telling you," the smug jock sneered. "I've got an ID _right here_, which says I'm twenty three! So do you want my money or not?"

"Oh? Okay, okay!" Steven started as if he was about to jump over the counter "You think you're tough, huh? Think you're tough with a damn ID?! Let's see how tough you are when I bash your fuckin' head in!" Steven was intimidating on his own, despite the blond hair that was spikey to the point of defying gravity itself. His fierce blue eyes gave an assured promise of violence to anyone who messed with him. The fact that he was clad in black leather from head to toe and built like a navy seal didn't hurt his case either. So it was nothing more than expected when the kid ran out of the liquor store like there was no tomorrow, well past the point of pissing in his pants.

"Elegantly handled, as always, Stevie," came the obnoxious voice from the back room, which belonged to Axel. Said man walked to the counter, along with Chris Feldman, Steven's uncle.

"Kid, I swear, you'll put us out of business," Chris said, but he didn't mean it. Steven was courteous enough towards real customers, even the ever grouchy Leroy, whom Axel constantly busted his chops. He also kept more unpleasant customers in line, so they never were in fear of armed robbery.

"Just takin' out the trash, Uncle Chris," Steven answered. Axel and Chris snorted.

Axel Flynn had red hair that was done in spikes, and was about twenty seven, but was the same height as Steven, who was twenty three. Axel was fond of black hoodies, and always wore an arrogant smirk. He seemed like the kind of person whom Steven would beat the living snot out of, but in truth, Axel was one of the few people Steven called a friend, aside from his uncle.

Chris was just as muscular as Steven, with short and styled blond hair, and a cigarette in his mouth that made the entire shop reek of tobacco. It didn't help business, but then again, _Storybrooke Liquor_ was the only liquor store in town, so there wasn't any competition.

Chris and Axel had been friends for years, and they both put their money in the liquor store. They weren't rich, but they managed much better than they expected. So much so, that Chris hired his nephew, who was looking for a job at the time…

_Hm._ Chris thought. _Can't remember when that was._ He shrugged it off though.

"Plus, as long as Leroy keeps comin' in, we're set for life!" Axel laughed. Chris joined him while Steven just rolled his eyes. Steven hardly ever laughed. "Speak of the devil!" Axel said as he heard the door open, and saw Leroy walk in.

"Devil?" Leroy asked indignantly. "Buddy, I'm worse than the devil when I don't have my beer."

"I gotcha, Leroy," Steven said. "Usual?" the hospital janitor nodded.

Life was easy for Steven, Chris, and Axel.

So why the hell did they feel like something was missing?

**So there it is. As I've said, most of the character's Curse-selves are nothing like the original selves, but it seems to be an exception in some cases :P, so most of the characters are going to be OOC, for now at least. So if you haven't figured out who's who yet:**

**Leon- Doug Stichler, the unhappy busboy at the Rabbit Hole.**

**Terra- Ryan Lynson, the fisherman/drunkard with financial problems.**

**Cid- Chris Feldman, the gruff half-owner of Storybrooke Liquor.**

**Cloud- Steven Cooper, the no-nonsense clerk of Storybrooke Liquor.**

**Lea- Axel Flynn, the easygoing half-owner of Storybrooke Liquor**

**Next up:** **Aerith, Tifa, and Aqua!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another update already? Man, I'm on a roll!**

**miano53- yeah, pardon my lack of originality, but I needed names, and John-Jacob-Jingle-Heimer-Schmidt just wouldn't work, LOL. In case anyone wants to sue me, I already put a disclaimer in the first chapter, stating that I own nothing. And yes, other OUAT characters WILL appear, rest assured. We'll see some of our beloved Emma, Mary Margaret, David Nolan, etc. But the story's going to be centered mainly on the KH characters, although OUAT characters will play their parts. And the Curse, as I've said, affected Traverse Town, and the Destiny Islands so far. Maybe I'll add something. The worlds I can safely say have NOT been affected are Disney Castle and Yen Sid's Tower. Regina only had the Curse take with her people she wanted, and she'd want Keyblade Wielders, Princesses of Heart, and their allies.**

**Gohan Roxas- yep, you did! But only partially, because DenizenofTwilight inspired this too. I'm glad you like the story so far! That means a lot!**

**NOTE: The KH stuff will be portrayed in such a way that it will not interfere with all the major canon events of OUAT, but there will be a few slight tweaks here and there.**

**So, as I've said in the last chapter, the characters introduced here are Aerith, Aqua, and Tifa!**

CHAPTER 3

Working days were not that bad. They might get busy from time to time, but in overall, Granny's Diner was a peaceful place to work. For lunch hour though, today was a bit more hectic than usual.

Amanda liked her job. She worked as a waitress at the diner for as long as she could remember. They needed a way to pay the bills, and a job was a job, so she wasn't complaining when Ruby got them a job. It was a good one too, not demanding or very tedious, the pay wasn't bad, and she got to see her friends while she was working from time to time.

Life was pretty good for her outside of work too. She had a fair amount of friends, a nice apartment, and was on good terms with nearly everyone in Storybrooke. She wasn't wealthy, but she loved her life. Probably the only thing she had trouble in was the dating game. For some reason, her dates never go well and they end as quickly as they began. It wasn't that she wasn't beautiful, people told her she was. She guessed she was pretty enough, her long brown hair was usually done in a braid, and from what people told her, her green eyes were intense to look at. But she never cared much about dating anyway. She had a pleasant life, one that many people would envy. She wouldn't be unhappy with it just because she couldn't find a decent date.

Recently though, her positive mood and caring demeanor was slightly marred. One of her friends, Ashley, had gotten pregnant, and her boyfriend had walked out on her. Sean, the boy whom Amanda could distinctly remember everyone saying that he and Ashley were perfect together, had walked out on her. Amanda and Sean used to be on good terms because they shared a mutual friend, but now, Amanda wanted to bitch-slap the guy for stabbing Ashley in the back. She was usually nice, kind, never violent, but Amanda couldn't deny how much she hated Sean now for what he did to Ashley, and she could tell Ruby had felt the same way. Now, she was forced to give up her baby to Mr. Gold, that monster of a pawnbroker, who would put her baby up for adoption.

The odd thing was that she couldn't exactly remember _when_ Ashley got pregnant, _when_ Sean left her, and _when_ she made a deal with Gold. She tried to remember, she felt like it should be at the tip of her tongue, but when she tried to think about it, or anything from the past ten years for that matter, everything was just fuzzy.

Amanda's friend Meghan walked into the diner and sat at a table. She saw that Ruby was already busy with two other tables and holding trays of food in both hands, so she decided to take care of her.

"I've got this one Ruby."

"You're a lifesaver, Am," Ruby replied, sighing as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. Amanda laughed, but she knew how Ruby felt about working here. Ruby always talked about leaving Storybrooke and starting a new life in Boston, but something kept holding her back. They always shrugged it off though, and Ruby would just say she'd leave next month, or when she had the money for a new place.

Amanda went over to Meghan's table and greeted her.

"Hey Meg," She said.

"Hey Amanda," her friend smiled. Meghan had been friends with Amanda and Ruby for as long as either of them could remember. Her hair was cut short as usual, and was black in such a way that one would almost think it looked blue.

"How's work at the Mirror?" Amanda asked.

Meghan smiled wryly. "Same as it's always been. No stories, no news, no nothing. This is what happens when you're a reporter in a town like this." She was a reporter for the Daily Mirror. Being a reporter sounded exciting, and it would have been Amanda's second choice for a job, if not for the distinct lack of news to cover. This was a small, quiet, uneventful town, so there were never many stories. Meghan knew that the only reason the Mirror stayed in business was that it was the only newspaper in town. She joined the Mirror to have an active part in the community, and for the thrill that anyone would think would come with being a reporter.

God, she was wrong.

Amanda chuckled "You know, I think I wanted to be a reporter a few years back. I'm kind of glad I didn't, now." Meghan snorted.

"Might be boring, but hell, as long as they give me my paycheck, I'm not complaining." Meghan said jokingly as Amanda laughed.

Life was good.

Amanda hoped things would never change.

* * *

Julie Trinket couldn't remember wanting to be a nurse, but she wasn't sure if she'd change the career. She liked helping people, and by being a nurse, she wasn't limited to anything specific, so she could help patients in a number of ways. She guessed the only downside was that nothing ever happened in this town. That, and Dr. Whale's unsuccessful pickup lines. But everything was still static.

She just helped the same patients, dealt with the same people every day. She paid extra attention to the kids and elderly folks in the hospital, making sure they had everything they needed, and read to the kids on her break.

For as long as she could remember, nothing had changed. It was if she was stuck in a time loop.

_Time loop? Really?_ Julie mentally scolded herself. _No more late night _Doctor Who_ for you anymore._

As Julie checked in, she saw Mary Margaret, the schoolteacher who volunteered here. She was changing old, dead flowers next to a patient's nightstand with fresh new ones. She turned to the nurse and greeted her with a smiled. "Hi Julie."

"Hey Mary," the two were on a first name basis ever since she had volunteered…whenever that was. Mary Margaret was probably the nicest woman Julie had ever known. Sometimes she'd bring her class on field trips here to give cards to the patients. Bottom line: she was nice to everyone. It was a real wonder why the woman didn't have many friends and was usually seen alone everywhere. It was like she was cursed or something.

Make no mistake though, she was well-liked by everyone in town. Well, almost everyone. The Mayor is always rude and impatient with her, but then again, she's rude and impatient towards everyone. She's just less subtle about it to Mary Margaret.

The two were very similar in that way. Polite, kind, and caring towards others, but reserved and not with the crowd that often. So, naturally, they found friendship in each other.

"How you doing?" Julie asked Mary Margaret.

"I'm good," the teacher replied. "You?"

"Pretty good," Julie checked her watch. "Sorry Mare, I gotta go. That one-armed patient gets cranky when he doesn't get his meds on time."

"Go right ahead, Julie," Mary Margaret grinned.

As Julie walked away, she glanced over in the room where that John Doe had been in for quite a while. She probably couldn't remember when they brought him in. No one had claimed him, and they didn't have a clue who he was. Julie was one of the nurses who looked after him, changed his IV from time to time, but that was it.

No one really gave him much thought anyway. There were a lot more patients to take care of.

"Nurse," a certain patient called obnoxiously while repeatedly pressing his call button. "Nurse! Where are my meds?"

Julie sighed. Okay, _aside_ from everything being the same and Dr. Whale's unsuccessful pickup lines, _this_ was one of the downsides.

**God, how I love foreshadowing lines! It's like my lifeblood! The reason I'm updating so much is that my creative juices are flowing at full steam, and I need an outlet for my genius! ;) I still have two other fanfics I'm devoted to!**

**So:**

**Aerith- Amanda Witham, a waitress at Granny's**

**Aqua- Meghan Howson, reporter for the Daily Mirror.**

**Tifa- Julie Trinket, nurse at Storybrooke Hospital.**

**Next up: Yuffie and Merlin!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the last chapter that's going to introduce the characters. The next couple are going to incorporate them into the events of Season 1 of OUAT, from the point Emma arrives.**

**miano53- actually that's not the first reference, I mentioned Storybrooke in the first chapter ("Jake walked the streets of Storybrooke to his house."), and I mentioned Mr. Gold and Regina in the second ("Mr. Gold had the town in his pocket as much as that evil hellcat of a Mayor did."). Plus, in chapter three, I mentioned Ashley and Sean. Have you been paying attention, I ask jokingly?**

**IMPORTANT: I made a mistake, and made Rick's (Zack) last name the same as Ryan's (Terra). So, to avoid confusion, I'll make Ryan's last name Lynson**

CHAPTER 4

May absolutely hated lunch period. Not to be misunderstood, because she liked being with her friend Allison, she just hated being around the people who were in the lunchroom. That was her policy; don't hate the game, hate the players that make the game worth hating.

Lunch period was always loud, no matter what day it was. Everyone was talking with their friends, all discernable words lost in the noise. The jocks sat at their table, talking about the next football game and how they're going to crush the opposing team (literally or figuratively, neither May nor Allison cared to know), the popular girls at another table, talking about the latest flashy fashion magazine and which celebrity did what that was so important. The smart kids (or as mainstream students called "nerds") sat together, reading, doing their homework, and comparing grades for their latest calculus test. The punks, the kids who hated the world sat together, discussing their favorite rock bands, rap music, and new piercings (where they were, May had no intention to know). And finally, there were the kids who sat alone, and belonged to no particular category. They included May and Allison.

"Lunchtime; the faculty's secret code for bloodbath," May said, causing Allison to snicker.

May and Allison had been friends for as long as the two could remember. They weren't popular, which is what mainly made them band together. The school was a hellhole, and you could only survive by sticking with others. May's flamboyant and eccentric personality was what made her unpopular in school, but Allison had found it hilarious and endearing. May was Allison's self-declared bodyguard, picking fights with girls who called her trashy, worthless, and uncool. If it wasn't for May, Allison would be absolutely miserable, and wasn't sure what she'd do.

May and Allison almost looked like each other, same height and build. But in contrast to Allison's long auburn hair, May had short black hair. Allison's eyes were a mixture of blue and violet, and May's was pure violet, that were usually warm, friendly and kind, but when she was angry, they seem to see into your soul. A look that she gave to other people, and thankfully never Allison.

"I'll be so glad when I get out of here," Allison said.

May grinned. "You and me both, girlfriend."

"'Girlfriend'?" Allison giggled. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious, girlfriend," May gave a mock serious expression that made Allison laugh harder.

"Hey, freaks," said a voice interrupting their laughter that could only belong to one of the most popular girls in school.

May never remembered their names, thinking them not to be important enough to remember, but she distinctly remembered them tormenting her and more often, Allison.

May looked around in all directions, and then said, "Nope, no freaks here! You might want to look in the mirror if you want to find some, though." That made Allison laugh.

"What are you laughing at, bitch?" snapped one of the girls, presumably their leader. "You should laugh at yourself, you dress like a hobo anyway!"

Allison was dressed in a school uniform, just like everyone else was. But she had unintentionally ran into some of the girls outside of school. She didn't dress in five hundred dollar clothing like they did, and that gave them all an excuse to pick on here. She would fight back, something in her told her to fight back. But she could never find the strength to.

"Yeah?" May said with venom in her voice. "Well at least she doesn't dress in a way that'll make her freeze to death!"

"Who the hell asked you? Are you just fighting her battles for her?" the girl gave Allison a nasty smile. "Too afraid of me?"

That set May off.

In a blur, the girl and a bunch of her friends ended up with their heavily made up faces dowsed in May's chocolate milk. The entire lunchroom was silent, and May gave a satisfied smile, until she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned to see one of the teachers who was patrolling the lunchroom.

"Office. Now." The teacher barked.

May's smile didn't fade one bit.

* * *

_They make the place this quiet just to torture you_, May thought.

And it was true, the neatly kept hallways and conservatively decorated school gave an ominous feeling to anyone who had to sit outside the office. May was waiting in a chair for the inevitable storm. Something like this could have her suspended. She might have been nervous about the storm waiting for her when her parents found out, but she didn't regret what she did one bit.

Allison was her only friend, and dammit, she wouldn't let those horrible, mean girls treat her like that. Allison herself was worth more than fifty of them, and anyone who said otherwise was just an ignorant bastard.

She knew that Allison was too meek to fend for herself though. May didn't feel like she should fight her friend's battle for her, but she didn't like watching her just stand there and take it. Despite all the encouragement May gave her best friend, Allison simply couldn't find that fire in her.

"Ms. Innes?" Came the elderly British accent of the principal. "You can come in, please."

May came into the office, and sat down in the chair across from the principal's desk. You know the stereotypical version of a principal, the mean spirited, unreasonable, authoritarian old man who crushed any idea of independence? Well, get ready to have your expectations killed.

Principal Gunderson was a kind, understanding man. Instead of simply punishing troublemakers, he sat with them, talked to them, and reasoned with them. He was fair, reasonable, and was never condescending. He reached out to students, instead of trying to intimidate them. Sure, at his worst, he was grouchy and threatening, but tried to keep that side of himself under control.

The man almost looked like a Wall Street Santa Clause, his pure white beard covering his tie, and his head bald enough to reflect the ceiling lights.

"Hello, Ms. Innes," Gunderson began. May had to resist rolling her eyes. _Here it comes_, she thought.

"I understand that you assaulted five students," He began.

"They were picking on my friend!" May said. She was about to continue, but Gunderson cut her off.

"I know that. Ms. Hewett told me," the principal said.

"Then why am I being punished?"

"Because what you did was not the way to deal with these sort of things, May," the principal's tone softened. He was a good judge of character, and he knew that May was a good kid. They were all good kids. But sometimes, they didn't know that. "You need to use your head in these matters. In the real world, when you act out like this, the consequences aren't going to be as easy as they are now."

"I know sir," May only usually called people "sir" or "mam" because she knew how suckered adults can get when kids acted they were nothing more than insects to their elders. Gunderson though, wasn't.

"Since you were only trying to help your friend though, you'll only get two day's detention. How does that sound?" May's head shot up at this.

"Really?" she knew that the principal wasn't one to make up cruel jokes like this, and he confirmed it with a nod. "Thanks! Thanks a lot!"

"You're quite welcome, my dear. You know, friends like you aren't easy to come by, and Ms. Hewett's lucky to be able to call you that." May gave Gunderson a grateful smile before thanking him again and leaving.

Despite the student leaving on a positive note, Gunderson sighed. He's been acting as the mentor for many kids into adulthood for many years, yet for some reason, he felt unfulfilled.

**Okay, so that's the end of the character intros! As I've said, I'll be incorporating them into the events from Season 1. No canon changes, just slight tweaks.**

**I'm sorry to say the next update won't be as fast as these ones were. I need to work on my other stories.**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Here's a complete list of the KH characters in Storybrooke and their Storybrooke selves.**

**Kairi- Allison Hewett, shy social wallflower.**

**Yuffie- May Innes, a flamboyant and cheerful nonconformist, and Allison's only friend.**

**Merlin- Frank Gunderson, principal of Storybrooke's school.**

**Sora- Jake Shaffer. Antisocial, broody, cynical, and friendless.**

**Riku- Tyler Canton, the most popular kid in school, arrogant, and selfish.**

**Zack- Rick Myers, Tyler's best friend and the school's player.**

**Leon- Doug Stichler, the unhappy busboy at the Rabbit Hole.**

**Terra- Ryan Lynson, the fisherman/drunkard with financial problems.**

**Cid- Chris Feldman, the gruff half-owner of Storybrooke Liquor.**

**Cloud- Steven Cooper, the no-nonsense clerk of Storybrooke Liquor.**

**Lea- Axel Flynn, the easygoing half-owner of Storybrooke Liquor**

**Aerith- Amanda Witham, a waitress at Granny's**

**Aqua- Meghan Howson, reporter for the Daily Mirror.**

**Tifa- Julie Trinket, nurse at Storybrooke Hospital.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter! It came out sooner than I expected, but that's because it was half finished already. Brace yourself, because this has hints of Sora/Kairi fluff!**

**miano52- they'll help in more indirect ways. Like I said, I want to keep things as close to the canon as possible.**

**Nicole Peach- alright, I'm not as fluent with everything that's going on in KH as you are, so cut me some slack. I'm kind of making this up as I go along. I'm going to be focusing more on Sora, Riku, and Kairi, mainly because I like them the most and I'm biased like that! ;) But that doesn't mean I'll leave out everyone from Twilight Town! I've got big plans for that and Ventus too! Just you wait!**

**Dream For Tonight- I highly recommends watching the show! It's really great! You can always trust Wikipedia or the Wikia site to give you the facts though. I'll try to make it easy enough to follow for those who didn't watch the show though. I'm glad your interested!**

**Dark Mage 13XIII- that sounds like a great idea! You're story's great, and a oneshot of Season 1 would be awesome! PS- I'm a pretty quick and avid writer when I'm into what I'm writing, so as long as I have time, you can expect quick updates.**

CHAPTER 5

_"There you are, ya lazy bum!"_

_Sora, who was lying on the warm, sandy beach, looked up to see Kairi's beautiful eyes and brilliant smile._

_"That 'lazy bum' thing's getting kind of old, Kai," Sora said halfheartedly and with a grin._

_"I've been looking everywhere for you!" When Sora got up, Kairi pulled him in for a kiss, which he happily returned._

_It had three months since Sora and his friends had defeated Xehanort and Organization XIII. They all still had their Keyblades, which let them visit all their friends from Disney Castle and the Enchanted Forest, and of course, brush up on their Keyblade lessons with Yen Sid._

_Sora missed his friends more than usual today, so he decided to find comfort in the calmness of the beach._

_"Hey guys!" the couple turned to see Riku, who looked out of breath._

_"Hey Rik, what's up?" Sora asked._

_"Mickey Donald and Goofy are here!" Sora and Kairi's faces lit up at the mention of their friends, but Riku didn't look too happy about that though. "They've got horrible news!"_

_They followed Riku down the beach, and found Mickey, Donald, and Goofy waiting for them._

_"Sora! Kairi!" Donald and Goofy came forward and hugged their friends. Mickey though, seemed graver._

_"It's great to see you guys!" Mickey grinned, but his usual optimistic demeanor darkened. "Sorry, but we haven't come to hang out,"_

_"What's wrong?" Sora asked._

_"Regina isn't done for yet. She's gonna cast a Curse, a Dark Curse," Mickey began. "It's gonna take this world, and a bunch of others. It's gonna make you lose your memories, and think you're someone else, and everything you love's gonna taken away from you. She's doin' this all to get back at Snow White." Sora always knew that Regina hated Snow White with a passion, and desperately wanted her dead. Only now, when she was willing to damn entire worlds to that kind of suffering, that Sora knew just _how_ much she did. Why, none of them knew._

_Kairi was the one who broke the horrified silence._

_"Can we stop it?" Sora smiled. Kairi's optimism, unending hope, and unwillingness to go down without a fight seemed to be what he loved most about her._

_Mickey didn't seem to share the hope. "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."_

_"But there's some good news, right?" Goofy asked. "You mentioned the Curse breaking?" Sora, Riku, and Kairi seemed to be interested in this._

_"Yeah," Mickey said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter's gonna escape the Curse. According to Rumplestiltskin, after twenty-eight years she's gonna come and break it."_

_"Twenty-eight years?" Sora exclaimed. "We'll all be old by then!"_

_"The Curse is gonna freeze time," Donald said. "It's gonna make sure everyone suffers, except for Regina."_

_"It's going to take all of us?" Riku asked, worried._

_"Regina wants to take you three, it seems," Mickey said. "So she plans on taking this world, and Traverse Town with her." Mickey thought for a moment before continuing. "I don't think she's gonna take Disney Castle though. I don't even think she knows our world exists."_

_"What do we do?" Sora asked. He could feel Kairi's grip on his hand slightly tighten._

_"Now, I don't think there is anything we _can_ do." Mickey said. "We're trying to warn everyone we can, but we don't have much time now. We just gotta have faith that Emma's gonna come and get you guys out."_

_"Emma?" Sora asked._

_"That's her name," Donald said. "Their daughter's name."_

_"We'll do as much as we can from Disney Castle, but there's not really much we can do," Mickey said. "The Curse is gonna take you to a land without magic. All we can do is watch, and see how things play out." Mickey knew that they could go to the land after the Curse takes place, but it would be risky. Keyblades were one of the few artifacts that could go to lands without magic, but the rub was that they couldn't take you back without magic._

_"Thanks Mickey. Thanks guys," Sora said. They had gotten past the formalities a long time ago. Fighting alongside each other to save the multiverse will do that. Riku and Kairi thanked them, and gave them goodbye hugs before they left the three on that note._

_When the Curse hits, none of them are going to remember the other._

_They could be enemies, friends, or strangers to each other for all they knew._

* * *

The beach was a quiet, calm place. The ideal place for a troubled teen to calm himself down from the smelly heap of bullshit that was his life.

Jake finally have conclusive proof. Life has a personal vendetta against him.

He was just minding his own business in the lunchroom when Tyler just came up to him and asked him why he was such a loser. Jake ignored him initially, but that only made him angrier, and before he knew it, he was being hung from his feet. From that point, it was on like Donkey Kong. With strength Jake didn't even know he had, he freed himself from the jock's grip, and began beating him senseless. Of course, when the teachers _finally_ came into the picture, Jake wasn't in the most innocent position. It was obvious that Tyler Canton, the kid who respected all the teachers (while flipping them off behind their backs), was the victim of the violent episode of the delinquent Jake Shaffer, who was rewarded with suspension for two weeks. The principal might have been nice, but whenever it involved Jake, he was clueless. Sure, Jake might have spouted a few curse words here and there when he was in the office, but the man should have been able to see that Jake was just trying to defend himself!

He wasn't complaining about not having to go to school, he considered that a blessing, but he was pissed about his outraged mother's promise to make his life anything but easy during those two weeks. As if life was easy as it was now.

Jake had never intentionally harmed anyone. He never bullied anyone. He never fought except to defend himself.

So why the hell was this all happening to him?

Suicide was something Jake had seriously thought about in the past, but never thought about again. He resolved to think that if he didn't let himself care about anyone, if he didn't have any friends, then life would be bearable.

_Friends_, Jake thought disdainfully. _They're a weakness. Nothing more_.

He sighed. Jake knew that he would jump in and out of these moods in no time flat. He was angry and broody now, but he went through enough of these to know that he'd feel better tonight, or tomorrow after a good night's sleep.

But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his anger while he could.

Jake was about to pass an old playground when he saw a kid, who was clearly oblivious to the teen, playing with a long stick, waving it around like it was a sword. When the kid turned around, and lifted the stick as if he wanted to make the killing blow against a villain, he saw Jake's confused, weirded-out expression, and his face turned beet red.

"Uh," the kid immediately threw the stick on the ground. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough, kid," Jake chuckled. He was never able to relate to kids his own age, but he was much better with young kids.

The kid's embarrassed face turned into smirk. He couldn't have been older than ten. "My mom calls me that."

"You're mom?"

"She just came here."

"Who…Oh!" Jake remembered reading something in the newspaper, about the biological mother of the Mayor's kid coming to town, and running into the town sign with her car.

"So you're the Mayor's kid."

The kid nodded. "I'm Henry."

"Jake," the teen introduced himself.

"Do you want to see my book?" Henry asked excitedly. He normally didn't show others his storybook, but with Emma coming here, it might help Jake remember.

"Your book?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, my storybook," Henry rushed over to the playground to the base of the slide where his book bag sat. He fished out a big, leather-bound book, with big golden letters _Once Upon a Time_ on the cover.

"Neat looking book." Jake said. And it was. You didn't see those old, leather bound books anymore, and with the library closed, Jake didn't have the chance to.

"It's not just a book," Henry grinned knowingly.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," Henry said.

They spent a good half an hour looking through the stories. These weren't the traditional Disney fairy tales Jake watched when he was younger. They involved Snow White leading armies against the Evil Queen, Cinderella making deals with Rumplestiltskin, and Prince Charming fighting a shapeshifting witch. Definitely not what he saw in the Disney films.

The last story in the book intrigued him. It talked about the Evil Queen casting a dark curse on everyone to take away their happy endings.

"Some pages are missing," Jake pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. I needed to get rid of them."

"Get rid of them?" Jake asked. He couldn't imagine why. If he lost the last few pages of a book as good as this one, he'd be pissed beyond belief.

"Yeah, in case the Queen finds them."

"The Queen?" Jake asked incredulously.

"Yeah. My mom." Henry explained. "Not Emma, the Mayor."

"So…wait," Jake was beginning to see what Henry was getting at. "So you think that Storybrooke is the place the Queen's curse sent us?"

"Yeah!" Henry beamed.

"And…we're all fairy tale characters?" Henry nodded excitedly. Jake was silent for a moment. God, he heard of escapism, but this was ridiculous!

"But you don't have to worry anymore though," Henry said. "Emma's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She's here to break the Curse!"

Jake tried not to laugh, but it was hard. He didn't want to hurt Henry, the innocence of a child was a beautiful thing, even the pessimistic Jake knew that, but this was too much. Then Jake had an amusing thought.

"If everyone here is a fairytale character, who would I be?" He meant nothing by it, but Henry acted like he was being totally serious.

Henry thought for a moment. This was the first time he and Jake had met, but he looked familiar almost. "I don't know…" The boy trailed off. "Maybe something in Storybrooke is connected to your fairytale life. What do you like to do?"

"I like to make keys," Jake was only joking, but that sent the boy flipping through the book like his life depended on it. He finally landed on a page. Like all of the pictures, this was done in a watercolor sketch, and showed three teens, two boys and a girl. The boy in the center looked suspiciously like Jake, same chestnut brown hair with natural spikes, same blue eyes, but instead of a melancholy and dark expression, this boy had one of confidence and hope. The other boy was at his left side, and looked almost like Tyler, same hair, same aqua eyes, but rather than arrogance, they had the look of an old man, who's seen it all and done it all. The girl at his right side looked like Allison, and all three of them held in their hands what looked like keys as big as swords, whose expression spoke of fierce determination.

"That's you!" Henry beamed as he pointed to the boy in the center. "You're Sora, the Keyblade Wielder."

"So," Jake was now trying his best not to laugh at this point, "I slay my foes with the might of a giant key? Oh yeah, that's bad," Jake said sarcastically.

"That's a Keyblade," Henry said, as if _Jake_ was the one being stupid.

"Riiiiiiiiight," Jake said. "Look, Henry, this has been fun and all, but-"

"These are your friends," Henry pointed to the kid resembling Tyler. "That's Riku. He's a Keyblade Master. He's your best friend, until he tried to kill you."

"Hm," Jake said. "Kill me? Sounds like Tyler."

"You know who he is here?!" Henry got even more excited. "Great! We can help him remember!"

"Henry! Slow down, please! Okay, look, this kid, Tyler, he _is not_ my best friend, okay? He's nowhere near my friend! We hate each other! He treats me like…" _He's ten, remember, he's ten._ "Dirt." Jake wasn't about to say that exactly, but it was the only word that could aptly describe the way Tyler treated him that Henry's innocent ears could stand.

"It's only because of the Curse," Henry insisted. "You two are like brothers!"

"Okay," Jake tried to talk to Henry at his level now. "You said he tried to kill me, right? Why would we be friends after that?"

"Cause he got good again!" Henry said. "And look," he pointed to the girl. "That's Kairi, a Princess of Heart. After you saved the worlds, you two fell in love!"

"Sooo, I not only have a magic key-"

"Keyblade," Henry corrected.

"_Keyblade_," Jake said, "I not only have a Keyblade, but I'm in love with a princess, and I saved a bunch of worlds?"

"Yes!" Henry said. "You have a lot of other friends too. There's Leon, Tifa, Cloud, Cid, Yuffie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jake couldn't take it anymore, and he started laughing. "So you're saying I'm best friends with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy?" He immediately sobered up when he saw the hurt expression on Henry's face. _Aw shit_. "Look, Henry, I didn't mean to laugh at you," Jake said hastily. "I just…something like this seems a bit too good to be true! I mean, nothing good ever happens for me! Never! I'm not a hero, I don't have any friends, and I'm not in love with a princess. Okay? I'm just a loser who likes keys." Henry didn't look hurt anymore, he now looked more sympathetic.

"You're wrong," the boy said.

"These are just fairytales-"

"That's not what I meant," Henry interrupted. "You're wrong when you said you didn't have any friends. You have one." Henry smiled at the teen, who smiled in return.

"Thanks Henry," Jake nodded at the boy gratefully.

"So you don't think I'm crazy? For believing this?" Henry knew that Jake didn't believe, but he desperately wanted confirmation that he wasn't crazy. He already heard Emma and half the kids at school say he was, but he didn't want anyone else to. He just met Jake, and Henry believed he'd be honest. Not that he didn't believe Emma, but some part of him thought she just wanted him to feel better.

"Crazy?" Jake scoffed. "Henry, believe me when I say that you are probably the sanest person I've ever met!" Jake meant it, too. Henry was the only person Jake had a conversation with that didn't make him want to tear his hair out.

"Thanks Jake," Henry said gratefully. "Some people say I am, though."

"They're the ones who're crazy, then," Jake said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, I won't be updating this as fast so I can work on my other fanfics. Though it's awfully likely that it won't that much time, seeing how much of an avid writer I can be!**

CHAPTER 6

_Stiff silence filled the room. Yen Sid, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Lea all stood in the sorcerer's study._

_"When will it happen?" Mickey asked._

_"We have a week, at most," Yen Sid replied. "Regina is putting together the final pieces as we speak."_

_"Gawrsh." Goofy said, bewildered. "What does she need to do?"_

_"She must sacrifice the heart of the one she loves most. Her father."_

_"What?!" Donald asked. "She'd do that?!" Donald always knew that the Evil Queen was cold, ruthless, and cruel. But kill her own father? Kill the only person in her life she cared about besides herself? That was an entirely new level of evil._

_Yen Sid nodded gravely. "There is power in destroying something as pure as love. Great, terrible, dark power."_

_"Will it take us?" Mickey asked._

_Yen Sid shook his head. "No, she has no interest in Disney Castle. But it will take Destiny Island and Traverse Town."_

_"Oh my gosh! Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Mickey exclaimed. "We've gotta get 'em outta there!"_

_"Our attempts would be futile, Mickey," Yen Sid said. "Regina intends to take the three, along with everyone in Traverse Town. Bringing them here will just condemn our worlds to the Curse."_

_"Then what do we do, master?" Mickey asked._

_"We must prepare for the day the Curse will break," Yen Sid explained. "In twenty eight years, the daughter of Snow White and Prince James will find everyone who has been cursed. How, I do not know. But I have an idea for how to be a part of it. One of us must go to a world to be taken by the Curse. One of us must be our man on the inside."_

_"I'll do it," Mickey said. "I got 'em all in this mess in the first place. I'll protect 'em"_

_"You're majesty!" Goofy said. "I'll go! Disney Castle needs you!"_

_"What do you know, you big palooka?" Donald told the Captain of the Knights. "I'll go!"_

_"I'll go!"_

_Everyone turned to Lea, who had been silent for this meeting. Not usual for the cocky Keyblade Wielder, a title he was still new to._

_"I'll be our guy on the inside."_

_"Are you sure of this, Lea?" Yen Sid asked. "The Curse will take away your memories, your abilities. You'll be powerless."_

_"I've got a plan. A way to get them back before the Curse is fully broken." Yen Sid raised his eyebrows._

_"You do?"_

_"The way old Rumple's planning to get back his." Lea smirked._

_"Ah," Yen Sid understood now. "Very well, then. But know that it is a land without magic. We will not be able to get to that world as easily we can with others. Do you still want to do this?"_

_"No doubt I do," Lea said. "I'll always be there to get my friends back."_

* * *

_Quiet day,_ Axel thought. Then again, every day's quiet in Storybrooke. Nothing new ever happens.

There were only three customers so far, two of which were Leroy. At many times, he thought that at the rate this guy was putting money into the store, he'd be set for life pretty soon.

"Hey Axel," Chris walked into the store, clearly late from sleeping in.

"Looks like someone decided to show up!" Axel smirked, and Chris made an annoyed groan. "If you didn't own the place, you'd be fired by now!"

"Oh shut up, will you?" Chris mumbled. "I've had enough of this shit."

"Aw, come on," Axel said. "Enough of our humble little town?"

"Haven't you read the paper?" Chris asked. "Someone new is in town. Heard she ran into the town sign while drunk driving," Chris shook his head. "Not gonna be good for business."

"Really?" Axel asks absentmindedly. "No one new ever comes to town."

"You know the mayor's kid?" Chris asked. Axel nodded. Everyone knew about that kid. His obsession with fairytales was well known. "She's his biological mother." Axel's eyes widened.

"Whoa," Axel said. "Bet the mayor's not too happy 'bout that." Chris shook his head.

"Not happy at all. Heard she was arrested for trying to steal the kid's files from his shrink. If you ask me, it was the mayor's doing. Seems alright though."

"You met her?"

"Na, just heard about her. Heard her name's Emma."

Suddenly, it feels like a ton of bricks hits Axel's head.

"W-what?" he asks, trying to process the thoughts bombarding his mind.

"Emma," Chris repeats. "Her name's Emma."

* * *

_Lea wrote down relentlessly on the parchment, almost with an anger, that single name._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma_

_He needed to remember that name. That name was the key to his advantage._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma_

_The Keyblade wielder wrote for hours on end, sometimes for days, rarely stopping for rest or food. Some called him insane._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma_

_Maybe he was._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma._

_But he guessed that some of the smartest people in the world were deemed crazy by their peers. It wasn't like he had time to kill anyway._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma_

_Everything needed to be planned out. He wanted to be beside his friends when it all happened, but he needed an advantage down there._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma._

_Lea continued writing._

_Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma._

Get it memorized_, he told himself._

* * *

"Hm," Lea grinned. "Nice name."

**I know the extra" Emma"s are a bit much but I added them for the purpose of psychological emphasis.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Sorry this took longer than I intended. I wasn't where I wanted to go with this chapter. These coming chapters are going to be short ones, but the updates will be fairly quick, since most of them are already half finished. It's gonna fly through the events of Season 1, and onto when the Curse breaks. That's when the plot thickens! ;)**

**miano53- yeah, I'm making this AU enough to include the KH characters, but not altering any major plot points in OUAT. Everything in KH has just a few tweaks, with Rumplestiltskin as the Beast, OUAT's darker version of Neverland, Cora as the Queen of Hearts, etc.**

**Nicole Peach- haha, yeah. I wanted to give the KH characters someone who remembers, but Lea isn't going to be the only one. I've got HUGE plans for this!**

**Dark Mage 13-2- yeah a LOT of Emmas! LOL. I just have a thing for giving characters a slight psychological imbalance. Probably didn't need to do much work with Lea on that account, LOL.**

CHAPTER 7

_"What do you think will happen?"_

_Sora heard Kairi break the silence they were in as they held each other._

_"What do you mean?" Sora asked, but he knew what she meant. She was talking about after the Curse will take them._

_"When the Curse comes," she confirmed his thoughts. "What will it be like? We're not going to remember each other. For twenty eight years, everything we've done, everything that happened…" Kairi tried to convince herself that her voice wasn't shaking as bad as it sounded. She wasn't like this. She was a Princess of Heart, a Keyblade Wielder. She fought against the forces of Xehanort, and she did it all fearlessly._

_But all that paled in comparison at the thought of losing her friends._

_"Hey," Sora held her more tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder, both trying equally hard to hold in tears at the thought of not remembering Kairi. "It's going to be fine." Sora knew that was a lie the second it left his mouth._

_"How?" she demanded. "How is everything going to be fine? We're going to forget each other. We might be strangers to each other in this other world. We might not know each other…" Kairi's words faded in a mess of sobs as Sora tried desperately to make her feel better._

_He hated hearing her cry. It ripped him apart._

_"You can't always assume the worst," Sora knew she was probably right, but he held on to that desperate, hopeful optimism he always had not only for his sake, but for Kairi's. "I know it's easy to believe the worst is going to happen. But that doesn't mean you can let it get to you. No one ever got far by assuming the worst."_

_Much to his relief, Kairi began to calm down, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're right," she wasn't any less terrified though. "We might lose our memories, but our hearts will never forget."_

_Sora knew she was right. Even in the depths of Castle Oblivion, he never truly forgot Kairi. Naminé might have taken her place, but that was just in his mind. Deep in his heart, he could never forget the girl he saw as a friend, and came to love._

_He could never truly forget his friends. His family._

_They let themselves stay in each other's arms, nothing else but the present to face._

* * *

Everyone Jake knew was at the mines, wanting to see firsthand what was going to happen to Henry and Archie lost in the dark caverns. Those who worked for the Daily Mirror struggled to get a close enough picture without having the sheriff or the deputy ordering them to back up. Whether everyone was here out of worry, curiosity, or just wanting to see a potential disaster, Jake didn't know.

Jake was separate from the crowd, as usual, pacing to calm himself down. He was worried about Henry. He only met the kid a few days ago, but he really grew on him. He probably still would be worried if he didn't know Henry, but that was just out of human nature, and would likely go back to normal if the worst happened. The fact that Henry was his friend, hell, his _only_ friend, made him all the more scared.

Jake couldn't imagine why anyone would want to go down that mine. It's been abandoned for as long as he could remember. He didn't even know why they didn't already get rid of it, like the Mayor had said it would be after the earthquake.

"You okay?" came a familiar voice that broke the silence.

Jake saw Allison of all people walk up to him, looking _concerned_, if he didn't know better.

"Fine," Jake said curtly.

"You sure? You look a little-"

"I said I'm fine," Jake snapped at her.

Allison didn't know why she even spoke to him in the first place. Sure, he looked more worried than the rest of the crowd, but she wasn't certain she came up to him out of pure sympathy. There was just something…_not right_ about the way he acted. Like this "I hate the world" act was just that, an act. She didn't know why she cared, seeing how whenever she tried to be friendly, he'd push her away.

"Fine, I was just trying to help. No need to snap at me," Allison didn't know where the venom in her voice came from, but it made Jake feel guilty.

"Wait," Jake called out as Allison was about to walk away. "Sorry. I guess I am a bit nervous." Allison smiled at the boy's apology, wondering briefly whether to reject or accept it.

She accepted it.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Allison said.

"Really? How?" Jake's voice wasn't as hostile as it once was, but it still held an unpleasant amount of sarcasm. "No offense, but blind optimism won't get you anywhere."

"Neither does always assuming the worst," Allison said. "I know it's easy to believe the worst is going to happen. But that doesn't mean you can let it get to you. No one ever got far by assuming the worst."

Jake smiled a bit at the girl's hopefulness. "That's good. Did you say that?" Jake expected her to say the name of a famous philosopher or something, but Allison just shrugged.

"No, I can't exactly remember where I heard it."

"Whoever said that, I ought to meet 'em."

* * *

It seems Jake severely misjudged Allison. Jake normally didn't like speaking in general, but Allison was pretty easy, and as he and his pessimistic pride loathed to admit, _enjoyable_, to talk to. It made Jake forget all about Henry trapped in the mine, and before he knew it, Emma went in through a shaft and came out with both the boy and Archie, both alive.

Jake watched the Mayor hover over Henry. He'd definitely go over to the boy, were it not for his intimidating adopted mother.

"Told you so," Allison came up to Jake, who was sitting on the ground, trying to zone out all the noise of the crowd.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jake mumbled, unsuccessfully hiding his smile. Allison just laughed as she held out her hand.

"C'mon, ya lazy bum, get up!" Jake pretended to be exasperated and bored as he took her hand and she helped him up.

He's not good at pretending, it seems.

* * *

Ignoring Regina fussing over him, asking for the thousandth time if he was alright, Henry smiled when he saw Jake, and the girl who must have been none other than the Princess of Heart, standing together, talking and smiling as if they were friends.

Things really are changing.

Kairi was right. It seems hearts really do never forget.

**So, my first bit of SoKai fluff! It might just be friendship for now, but one step at a time!**

**The next chapter's going to be about Riku/Tyler. I'll try to write as quick as I can. Sorry to all those SoKai fans, but I'm making this about ALL the characters, dammit! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know this chapter should probably belong in the first few chapters, but I didn't think I'd make Tyler of any importance, rather than being one of those classic, stereotypical jocks. At this point, the story's writing itself!**

**Nicole Peach- Save your "yays" for when I get to those chapters! Trust me, you'll love them!**

CHAPTER 8

_On the Destiny Islands, there was never any shortage of beaches. It was rare for someone to not have a beach in their backyards in the islands. So, it was common for kids, especially Sora, Riku, and Kairi to be seen at a beach._

_The silver-haired boy stood on the sand, picking up the nearest stone and throwing them as far as he could. Despite the strong winds, Riku managed to throw them at impressive distances._

_Riku was troubled._

_Well, he was always troubled, but the reasons for him being so kept changing, almost with each passing day._

_He pretended to be happy when he was with his two best friends, Sora and Kairi, whom he both loved dearly, like his own family. And at many times, he was._

_That happiness was short lived however, when the cruel grip of the past reeled him back in._

_He hurled another stone at the thought, putting all the strength of his now-sore arm into the throw, and it skipped two times before sinking into the waves. His attention was briefly caught by the call of a few seagulls, and he remembered how he, Sora, and Kairi would chase gulls down the beach before surrendering either to exhaustion or boredom. Riku chuckled slightly at the memory before going back to sulking._

_How could Sora and Kairi accept him back with open arms, after all he did? Sure, he was under the influence of Xehanort, but only because he allowed it. In his stupidity and arrogance, he let himself become consumed by petty jealousy, and he fought against Sora, his best friend, someone who later sacrificed himself to save him._

_Sora and Kairi, bless their hearts, acted like it didn't even happen. But Riku couldn't get rid of that feeling that deep down, they resented him secretly for his mistakes._

_"Hey, Riku!" the boy turned to see none other than his two best friends._

_"Hey guys," Riku smiled at Sora and Kairi._

_"We were gonna go to town, you wanna come along?" Kairi asked._

_"Sure you want me around? What, do you need a chaperon to come with you if things get a bit too _romantic_?" Riku grinned knowingly. Ever since Sora and Kairi became a couple, Riku constantly teased the two, though he was but one of the few who did so, making them blush to no end._

_This time was no exception, and Kairi managed to get past that embarrassed look on her face to say, "Okay, that's enough, so are you coming, or are you just gonna sulk all day?" Sora knew that Kairi was joking, but they both had seen a noticeable change in Riku. He had always been a bit more reserved and serious than the rest, but lately he seemed more so. They never confronted him about this, when they did, he just brushed them off and said nothing was wrong. But that didn't mean they never stopped trying. He was their friend, and they'd easily jump into the heart of all darkness if it meant cheering him up._

_Riku waved them off. "Nah, I'd just might be a third wheel for you two." Sora's playful expression immediately faded. Riku's tone was as emotionless as possible, and Sora saw the sadness and seriousness in his eyes._

_Riku, a third wheel? The mere thought of it was like sacrilege and blasphemy to both him and Kairi._

_How, after all that happened, could Riku think anything remote to that? He glanced at Kairi, who, clear from her expression, was thinking the same thing. _

_"Trust me Riku, you'll _never_ be a third wheel. You're our friend! And nothing's ever gonna change that." Sora said, totally serious. There was a grateful look on Riku's face, knowing that they both understood what he had meant. "Now will you come on already? We're burning daylight!" Sora childlike demeanor returned._

_Riku laughed. "Alright, but if you guys start making out, I'm gone!" The three had to stifle their giggles, and before they knew it, they were walking through town, talking, laughing, and smiling with each other, being the friends, comrades in arms, and family that they were. And it was when Sora began wining about how _he_ was always the one to pay for everyone's ice cream, was that Riku found he no longer cared about everything that happened. It was like the battles, the loss, and the betrayal was nonexistent._

_Riku's a man of many masks, it seems._

* * *

"Hey man," Tyler looked to his left to see Rick, equally sweaty from a hard workout from football practice.

"Hey, what's up?" Tyler asked as they were halfway through a mixture of slapping hands and pounding fists.

"You comin' to Amy's tonight? The party's gonna be awesome, not to mention some wicked hot girls gonna be there!"

"You know it man!" Tyler grinned.

Tyler always seemed like he loved life. He always seemed like he was having a great time at school, loved hanging out with his friends, dating only the most popular girls, and having the respect of the faculty and the fear of the students.

Tyler Canton was the guy that every girl wanted, and every guy wanted to be.

That was what everyone saw.

And it was all a lie.

The truth: Tyler _hated_ his life.

He hates that he calls a bunch of testosterone addicted dumb assess who would throw him under the bus if it suited them, his _friends_.

He hates that he keeps dating girls with the intelligence of a gnat.

He hates that he pretends to be such a goody-two-shoes in front of teachers and a bully to other students.

He didn't know what he hoped to accomplish by tormenting those below his social status. Especially Jake. The kid was always an easy target, no friends, always alone, and everyone else pretty much treated him like dirt anyway, so why not join in? When it comes to Jake, things are different. He feels especially guilty when picking on him. He doesn't know what's so special about the kid. Jake's pessimism was widely known, and everyone who didn't bully him just ignored him. Lately, he's been hanging out with some hot redhead, Ally? Alice? He couldn't remember her name. But Tyler would impulsively smiled when he saw the two together, as if he found someone else's happiness pleasant.

And he'd make sure to squelch every ounce of it when he could, taking it out on either Jake, or some other social zombie who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He doesn't even know why he does it. It's like he does it involuntarily, out of impulse, like he doesn't know anything else.

Of course he hates it. Of course he despises himself for being the cause of so much misery. He's not heartless.

But he can't help it. It's like being a bastard is an addiction for him, as if it's a perverted desire he can't control.

But there's something else, something that's at the back of his mind that he can't exactly remember. Some kind of guilt.

What the guilt is of, he doesn't know. All he knows is that he _needs_ to suffer, he needs to feel like shit.

Tyler knows that it's stupid, that he should be grateful for such a privileged life, and not wallowing in misery. And it's true, he knows he has a life that many would be jealous of. He would dare say that he has one of the best lives in Storybrooke.

And _that_ is what makes him believe he deserves the pain. His pettiness and him making a big deal over something so stupid is what makes him realize he needs the pain.

He deserves it, every last bit.

Of course, his wounds are only on the inside, never seen from the outside. He doesn't want people to know. He doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him, he doesn't want anyone to try to help him.

It's like he gets some kind of sick pleasure out of suffering in such silence.

Later that night, his pain and self-hatred both fade in a blend of alcohol, roaring laughter, cigarette smoke, and who the hell knows what else as he parties with his friends.

They think he just does it to be cool, like the rest of them.

Tyler knows he just does it to numb the pain when it all becomes too much.

He's a man of many masks, it seems.

**So there you have it. Riku's cursed self is not only a bully and a jock, but he's a self-loathing kid with bottled up emotions. In total, incredibly angsty. I just like writing angsty characters, they're a writer's gold mine.**

**Unrelated topic- does anyone see the similarities between Mr. Gold and Scrooge McDuck? Both the wealthiest people of their community, both with a Scottish accent, both with a cane, but Scrooge is generally portrayed as a good guy, and Gold is portrayed as morally ambiguous. Food for thought.**

**Now, if you would be so kind, REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

**What a fast update, huh? This one's mainly about Aqua/Meghan, but it includes an episode from Season 1 we all know and love. Read to find out!**

**Another thing, when the Curse breaks in this story, and when the events hit Season 2, I'm going to be moving this to the crossovers section.**

**Nichole Peach- I know, I'm terrible, for making Riku's Storybrooke self so angsty! And thanks for being the only one to review the last two chapters. This one's dedicated to you!**

CHAPTER 9

Meghan was sitting down at a table at Granny's, drinking her coffee, and contemplating everything that happened in the formerly quiet town of Storybrooke.

The town sign being ran into, an earthquake, the coma patient David Nolan waking up after who knows how long, the sheriff dying of a heart attack, and now Emma Swan and Sidney Glass were both competing for Sheriff now.

For the Daily Mirror, the world had basically stopped, and they took advantage of every last word of their new stories being published. Everything was going great for them.

Well, the sheriff dying was definitely not a good thing. Half the town mourned his death, and of course Meghan felt guilty profiting so great from such a tragedy. But with everything else that's happened, she had finally found the excitement she had been looking for when she became a journalist.

She _really_ needed to find Emma Swan and thank her.

Well, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, since none of the articles about Emma were at all flattering. Not that Meghan had intended it that way. She knew that the Mayor basically owned the Daily Mirror, and she _despised_ Ms. Swan, being the birth mother of her adopted son. So if she wanted to keep her job, Meghan had to tolerate some very slanderous articles being published.

She also knew that her boss was running for Sheriff just because he was being "asked" to by the Mayor. Meghan wasn't stupid, she knew that there was no possible way a newspaper editor would make an adequate sheriff. Plus, she saw the way Sidney was around Regina, following her as if he was an obedient little lapdog, more so that other people in this town. He always did what she told him to do, and Meghan wasn't all that sure it was out of fear.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the bell to the door ring, and in walked a familiar looking man. He wore a raincoat over worn and tattered clothes, his brown hair was quite messy slightly hiding his royal blue eyes. Meghan knew him, Ryan, a fisherman whose alcoholism was rivaled only by Leroy. Storybrooke was a small town, so basically everyone knew who everyone was, including Ryan.

Though Meghan would never in a thousand years admit it, but she always felt an irrational sensation of butterflies in her stomach when she saw him. She often saw him walking on the streets, he spent a lot of time at the Rabbit Hole, and Meghan hardly ever went there. She rarely saw him at Granny's, Ryan hardly having enough money to pay rent, let alone have a nice breakfast at Granny's. Or breakfast in general, for that matter. So he only went there when he had the money.

Meghan nor Ryan had never really spoke to each other, the most happening between them were a few awkward glances and some hellos while passing each other on the street.

She didn't even know why she felt the way she did, trying to fight off that rising heat in her cheeks and feeling as if she was losing her voice when he spoke. Ryan was a good-for-nothing drunk, who had very poor social skills. Meghan wasn't boy crazy, she didn't flirt as much as Ruby did. She did go on a few dates, at Amanda's and Ruby's request, and they never ended well. Not that she cared. She never felt anything with the guys she went out with. But for some reason, she did feel something when she saw Ryan.

Meghan wasn't naïve enough to believe in "love at first sight" crap. She hardly even knew the man, and what he did know about him wasn't that great at all.

"You done staring?"

"Hm?" Meghan was interrupted from her thoughts to see none other than Ryan standing at her table, looking expectantly at her.

"I said are you done staring at me?"

"Uh," Meghan blushed slightly, embarrassed that she didn't even notice she was staring at Ryan. He didn't say anything, just kept waiting for an explanation.

"Sorry," was all Meghan could stammer.

Ryan just waved it off. "Don't worry about it." He left and went to go sit at his booth, leaving an embarrassed Meghan to bury her face in her hands.

_Real cool. You sure nailed that-wait, why am I even caring?_

Meghan looked around, thankful that there weren't many people at the diner to see that little moment. But she saw Ruby, smirking and raising an eyebrow at Meghan. She made a face at the waitress before going back to drinking her coffee.

* * *

_Aqua paced in the depths of the Dark Meridian angrily._

_"Fool," Aqua muttered under her breath. She should have known better than to put her trust into someone called the _Dark One_. She had summoned him three hours ago, and still, nothing._

_"Fool? I hope you're not talking about me behind my back, dearie," came a high pitched, amused voice from behind her._

_"You finally decided to come, have you?" Aqua said coldly, not bothering to turn._

_"No harm in being fashionably late!" Rumplestiltskin giggled. "You called me, and I can assumed you want to make a deal?"_

_"Yes," Aqua said, finally turning to face the Dark One. "I want you to free Terra. I want you to lift him from his curse, and get Ventus out of Castle Oblivion."_

_"Ahhhhh!" he exclaimed. "No freedom for you? No getting out of this hellish land of darkness? Nothing for yourself?"_

_"No, just free my friends," Aqua didn't like what she was doing. Deal with Rumplestiltskin never ended well for the dealer, and the only one who benefited in the long run was the Dark One himself._

_But what other choice did she have?_

_"So selfless," Rumplestiltskin's voice was mocking. "So brave. I can grant you what you wish! For a price, of course!"_

_"Fine," Aqua didn't care what the price was, as long as she and no one else had to suffer the consequences._

_"It was that easy? Are you for real dearie?" Aqua glared at the Dark One, who simply giggled._

_"What are you going to do then?" Aqua asked._

_"Not what I'll do, more so, what you'll do!" he said. "First I'll free you, and then, you shall find your friends, and free them!"_

_"How?" Aqua was getting impatient now. She could find Ventus, he was in the depths of Castle Oblivion, but how could she free Terra? "I've tried to reach out to him. I tried to call to Terra. But Xehanort still possesses him."_

_"You haven't tried kissing him, have you?"_

_"What?!" Aqua shouted._

_"Any curse, can be broke, with an act, of true love!" He said "true" as "twoo", as if to make a joke out of all this._

_"That's all I have to do?" Aqua asked, her voice almost a whisper. She couldn't deny…she had wanted to kiss Terra for a long time. She wanted to tell him how she felt. But she wasn't sure if he felt the same. Could they have just resumed being friends if he rejected her? Could they have picked up where they left off? Ironic. She would fight an army of monsters, heartless, nobodies, and face overwhelming darkness, but she was afraid to share her true feelings._

_"Do you love him, dearie?"_

_Aqua turned away from the Dark One. She had absolutely no intention of sharing her feelings with Rumplestiltskin, but she still answered. "Yes. I do."_

_"And I do know, for a fact, he loves you as well," Aqua's heart fluttered, and if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn Rumplestiltskin's voice soften ever so slightly. Her head tried to think of all possible reasons why it couldn't be true, but in her heart, without a doubt, she knew._

Terra loves me.

_"Don't get lost in your feelings just yet, dearie!" Aqua glared as Rumplestiltskin spoke up. "We haven't discussed, _my_ end of the bargain."_

_"What do you want then?" Aqua asked._

_"When all of this is over, Xehanort defeated, and the heroes triumphant," he said dramatically, "all I want, is your _Keyblade_."_

_Aqua gasped. She knew that the price would be steep, but her _Keyblade_? There's no telling what kind of evil Rumplestiltskin could cause with such power._

_"What do you want with the Keyblade?" Aqua asked, trying to fight off the shake in her voice._

_"Hm," He said as if this wasn't a big deal. "Let's just say, I'm just saving it for a rainy day!"_

_"Will you harm anyone with it?" Aqua said, trying hard to not let her expression betray her need to know. She had to know what she was getting into._

_"You have my word, that you, and no one you care about, will come to harm by my wielding of the Keyblade!"_

_Rumplestiltskin, though true to his word, really didn't care about who came to harm with the Keyblade. He knew that he couldn't use it anyway. If he could, he never would have had to make the Dark Curse in the first place. The Keyblade chose its master, and while he did search far and wide for Keyblades, he could never access the full extent of their power. He could never get the damned devices to serve him. _

_But that didn't mean it still couldn't be of use to him._

_"Fine then. You have a deal." Aqua finally said._

_Rumplestiltskin giggled, knowing another part of his plan was set in motion._

* * *

Regina felt satisfied with yet another victory. And she didn't even do a thing. Ms. Swan herself destroyed her own chances of winning the election. That stupid illusion of morality that both she and her horrid parents had held onto proved to be her undoing.

She was disturbed, however, that Gold was the one who lit her house on fire. Before Emma came to town, Gold was as jumpy around the Mayor as everyone else in this town was. But now, he was noticeably different, and proved the fact by backing Emma up in the election.

Could he remember?

_Don't be ridiculous. You're being paranoid._

Was she? He began speaking in that cryptic tone he did before the Curse hit. Regina knew he knew more than he let on, about Emma, and about Graham's death.

Gold was never a threat to her. But Rumplestiltskin was an immense threat indeed, and with Emma here, the Evil Queen didn't need any more threats.

"'Scuse me?" Regina turned, expecting to see either Sidney to proudly announce his victory or Gold to deliver one of his threatening speeches, but was surprised to see none other than Axel Flynn, the half owner of that horrid liquor store.

"Mr. Flynn?" Regina asked. "What are you doing here?" that sharp tone was enough to make anyone flinch. Anyone, except Gold, Emma, and now it seems Axel, who just gave a cocky grin Regina knew too well.

"Hey, no need to be so hostile, I come as the bearer of good news!" he held his hands out dramatically.

"So, Ms. Swan lost then?" it was more of a statement rather than a question. And she didn't bother asking if Sidney won. At this point, Emma's defeat mattered more than anything else. She wanted that whelp to realize who's in charge in this town.

Axel inhaled while smiling, taking a dramatic pause that made Regina think she had won again, and then finally answering, "No."

"Pardon?" Regina asked, not bothering to hide her bewilderment.

"Turns out that _someone_," Axel cleared his throat before going on. "Managed to convince the people that someone who's willing to stand up to not only _you_, but Mr. Gold of all people, would make a pretty good sheriff." Axel tried not to fully grin at the Regina's expression, which quickly hardened again to the visage of the Mayor, commanding and ruthless.

"Mr. Flynn, I assure you, that if you in any way rigged the election, I will-" no one ever interrupted the Mayor if they wished to keep their heads. It seems Axel either didn't get the memo, or simply didn't care.

"Don't worry about that then. I hardly did a thing. The good people did it all for themselves!" Axel grinned before moving to leave. "People are able to handle themselves pretty well, especially with a little kick in the pants like this." Axel tapped his temple twice. "_Got it memorized_?"

Axel finally left, leaving a befuddled Regina Mills.

Gold and Emma are not the only threats now, it seems.

* * *

Deep in the mines, a dragon lays sleeping, waiting for the chance to awaken.

In the darkness, a half-shattered lid lay atop a glass coffin, just hiding not only what looked to be a gleaming jewel, but an enormous key.

**So, a smidge and a half of Terqua, and we found out how Emma managed to win the election. Turns out, it was more because of Lea, rather than Gold.**

**I know that this is definitely NOT how Aqua is going to get out of the Dark Meridian in KH3, but since it hasn't come out yet, I'll take as many creative liberties as I want! (Insert Rumplestiltskin giggle here)**

**Now don't forget, REVIEW! Reviews is for a story what oxygen is for us.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, this chapter's quite short, and it's more like a mini-chapter if you will. But I think you're going to like this! It'll introduce characters we all know and love!**

**Xehanorto- I know, there is NOWHERE enough OUAT/KH crossovers as there should be!**

**Dream For Tonight- Yeah, it is Aqua's Keyblade, and the Jewel is a failsafe for the Curse, as shown in the last few episodes of Season 2. Like I said, if you watch the show, you'll get what's happening a lot better.**

**Dark Mage 13-2- You flatter me, I'm so honored by being the inspiration for continuing your story, which I must say is quite inspirational as well!**

CHAPTER 10

"You remember?"

Lea warily glanced at his tea, not entirely trusting it, before nodding in reply.

"The tea's not spiked," Jefferson said, taking a small sip. "Do you think I'd be drinking the same tea if it was?" That seemed to convince Lea, who took a small sip. He was never that big on tea. He preferred coffee much better.

"Rumplestiltskin also remembers."

"Does he now?" Jefferson took a longer sip of his tea. Lea knew he was probably interrupting the Hatter, who was in the middle of making his millionth hat. Two million forty eight hat, to be exact. The last time Lea had seen Jefferson was when he was still an adventurer for hire. He had done jobs for people across numerous worlds, for Rumplestiltskin, King Mickey, Scrooge McDuck, even Organization XIII. He was never _evil_ per se, he just had little concept of good and evil when it came to money. Jefferson's moral compass was willing to point different ways when it came to business, a man after Scrooge McDuck's own heart.

"So did you remember?" Jefferson asked curtly.

"What?" Lea asked confused. "I said-"

"Not the Curse, _me_," Jefferson asked, his voice monotone. "Did you all forget about me? Did you forget how I was trapped in Wonderland, double crossed by that horrid bitch and captured by her ten times more horrid mother?" Jefferson took another sip of his tea. He always found tea to be much more of a comfort than alcohol ever was. "I spent day after agonizing day making enough hats to bury myself under. Day after day, I spent without my daughter." Jefferson's voice cracked for a moment before going on.

_Don't break down in front of this guy. He's not your friend. He's one of _them.

"It drove me _insane_, Lea, and I'm no better now. Not only am I separated from my daughter, but I'm watching her live a happy, blissful life, _without me_," his voice didn't rise or drop in octaves, making all the more intimidating. "I have two lives in my mind, both conflicting with the other, driving me deeper and deeper into _madness_!" Jefferson finally succumbed to his anger and threw his tea mug, still full of tea, at the wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces, like his sanity had been all those years ago. It left a noticeable dent in the wall, as well as staining the carpet with tea, but Jefferson didn't care. He _despised_ this house, and he despised it with a burning passion.

"Whose idea was it to keep me there, huh?" He was final roaring. "Was it you? Terra? Aqua? Yen Sid?! It was him, wasn't it?! None of them have ever liked me since I refused to be a part of their happy little brigade of key-swinging simpletons!"

Jefferson was a man of ambition and adventure, and that was what attracted the attention of Yen Sid. He offered to train the young Portal Jumper to be a Keyblade Wielder, but he refused. Jefferson, it seemed, didn't agree with the strictness that came with the business of Keyblade Wielding. He valued his freedom then, and wouldn't give up an ounce of it for anything.

Of course, that seemed to sour his once steady relations with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, never hearing from them since. Well, Jefferson _did_ make it a point not to visit them since then, but they didn't at all seem concerned about him. Plus, he had a daughter to care for, so he put that life behind him.

He knew that the loss of their friendship was mostly his fault, but that didn't mean he would ever verbally admit it. His pride would be the death of him, but without Grace or Alice, what did he have, but his pride? The only other thing he'd have was his madness.

"Do you honestly think we'd do that to you?" Lea was the one shouting now, which Jefferson found uncharacteristic of the man. He always seemed far more cocky and wise-assed. "You think that they'd all be that callous to abandon you? If you haven't noticed, while you've been off making hats," he said nastily. "We've all been putting our asses on the line to stop Xehanort and save the fucking worlds!"

Jefferson didn't seem at all fazed by Lea's anger. The Hatter just gave a sadistic smile. "Well, none of that matters anymore, seeing how we are all trapped in this godforsaken world, where everything we hold dear has been ripped away from us. Got it _memorized_, Lea?" Jefferson sneered mockingly, over-enunciated every word to make his point.

"Look, we both have a common goal," Lea did his best not to lash out at Jefferson. Turns out he was irritating as Lea himself, which was quite an impressive feat. "We want the Curse to break. Emma's here, and she's destined to break the Curse." Jefferson's brow shot up at this, causing Lea to chuckle. "Don't get excited yet. I don't know how and when that'll happen. Just that Emma's at the center of it. Her kid Henry too. What we need to be focusing on now is getting her to believe."

"Really?" Jefferson's face was impassive, but Lea could tell that behind that mask, the Hatter was plotting something. And if Lea knew Jefferson, it was probably something drastic, reckless, and insane.

"We may have the same goal, but that hasn't stopped us from not working together in the past, now has it, _Lea_?" Jefferson spat. "_Get. Out. Now_."

As Lea was halfway out the door, he stopped for a moment. "Jefferson?" the Hatter's stone cold gaze never left the walls, but Lea could tell he was listening.

"It was never anyone's idea to keep you there, you know," Lea rarely ever looked solemn, but this was one of those times. "We couldn't have gotten within five miles of the place without the Queen of Hearts throwing a fit. We wanted to get you out, but we never got the chance. Right after Xehanort, we had the Curse to worry about. We would have come for you if we could, man."

Jefferson's expression didn't change, still indistinguishable from an angry looking statue.

"Look," Lea was getting solemn again. "I have some info that I know you'll trust me on. I know where Alice is." Jefferson immediately turned to Lea, with an expression that said _you better not be lying or I'll gut you_.

"If you think this is funny-"

"Trust me Jefferson, I don't."

"I _don't_ trust you. I never have." the Hatter retorted.

"You know me, man. I'd never joke about something like this."

The Hatter studied him for a moment. "Fine then," Jefferson relented. He motion for Lea to sit down, as any decent host would do for his guest. "I'm all ears."

* * *

_"RUN!"_

_They are running as fast as they can, but they can't seem to outrun the black smoke. It came out of nowhere, enveloping everything in its path. It already took Leon, Cloud, and Yuffie, and they can only assume it took the rest of the town too. They could do nothing to save them. All they could do was run._

_But now there's nowhere left to run._

_Aqua and Terra are beside each other, Ventus at their side. They've reached a dead end. There was no way out now._

_"Ventus," Terra said. "Take this," Terra's Keyblade materialized in his hand. "Go to Disney Castle. Get help."_

_"No! I'm not going anywhere without you!"_

_"Ven," Aqua grabbed the boy's shoulders. "You have to do this. You can give us a chance."_

_"No!" The boy shook his head fervently, as tears began to form in his eyes. "Please, I don't want to leave you,"_

_The Keyblade Master embraced the young boy she had come over the years to see as a younger brother._

_"We'll see each other again Ventus," Aqua said fiercely. "I promise." She pulled away. "Now GO!"_

_Ventus held the Keyblade, and focused its magic to get him out of this world._

Take me to Disney Castle_, he commanded it. Though he was focusing on the spell, his eyes never left Aqua's._

_In a flash of bright light, Ventus was gone._

_Aqua and Terra, both unashamed and uncaring of their tears, embraced each other as the smoke wrapped around them, knowing in their hearts that they wouldn't see each other as they saw each other now for twenty-eight years._

Good luck Ven_, Aqua's last thought as herself._

* * *

Emma gratefully drank her shots, trying to zone out the sounds of the obnoxious laughter of the already drunk people, and the awful music. She thought that a small town like Storybrooke would be quiet, peaceful, nothing like being a bail bondsman.

Instead, she got saving her son and his shrink from a collapsing mine, a newly awakened coma patient her roommate had a crush on, helping two kids find their father, trying to find a way to get back at Regina and instead was humiliated in front of the whole town, and Mr. Gold beating a man half to death over a chipped teacup.

She needed to unwind. Unwind with a few good, hard drinks.

Emma was at her second shot when a man sat down at the counter next to her. He looked like he was intentionally sitting down next to that drunken fisherman, _what's his name? Ryan?_ He smiled at Ryan and greeted him like an old friend. Instead of greeting the man back, Ryan rolled his eyes, huffed, and left the counter in search of a booth. The man didn't seem offended though. He smiled, as if recalling a pleasant memory.

"Tough world, eh?" the man asked casually to Emma.

"You don't know the half of it," Emma replied, guessing it was mostly the alcohol making her want to engage in conversation. But the man didn't seem to be flirting with her. In fact, he seemed to have a childlike cheerfulness she had only ever seen in Henry.

"You'd be surprised," he chuckled. He was pretty good looking, Emma thought, for someone in their early thirties. Blond hair with a slight natural spike, royal blue eyes, dressed in mostly black.

"Name's Ventus,"

"Emma," she replied.

"Nice name," he smiled. The way Ventus says it almost reminds her of the way Gold said she had a lovely name. Slightly odd, and with a knowing look in his eyes.

"See you later, Emma," he got up to leave.

**For those who didn't get the part with Jefferson, he's the Mad Hatter. He has a Hat that can travel to worlds with magic, but Regina (The Evil Queen) double crossed him and abandoned him in Wonderland, where the Queen of Hearts (Regina's mother) forced  
him to keep making hats, but none of them ever worked.**

**So who is Alice? OUAT hasn't portrayed her yet, leaving me to make her in any way I want!**

**Ventus is back! And he's old! I figured he'd be in his forties by now, since 28 years have gone by.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, for those of you who read the last chapter, I know it initially said that Ventus was in his late forties. I originally intended that, but I just couldn't picture Ventus that old, and Dark Mage 13-2's review was enough for me to tweak it just a bit. I know that Ventus was fifteen in KH, and after twenty eight years, he'd be in his forties. Let's just say something happened on the way to Disney Castle that stunted his age for a while.**

**PS: I WILL NOT change anything else at your request, so don't ask!**

**PPS: There's going to be a few small changes. I'm still getting newly acquainted with the KH universe, so allow me to sow a few things I got incorrectly, due to my lack of knowledge. The worlds taken by the Curse will be ****_Destiny Islands, Twilight Town, and Radiant Garden_****.**

**PPPS: (How many P's can there be? ;) ) How do you all like the cover image for the story?**

**ROMANCE WARNING: I'm going to add Riku/Yuffie to the romance list for this story now. YuRiku became one of my new obsessions. Plus, Riku NEEDS a love interest and Naminé won't work because she's already with Roxas, and Yuffie's one of my fanboy crushes! That means Roxas/Naminé too.**

**Xehanorto- I'm glad you love the story so much! Keep the reviews up, got it memorized? :P**

**Dark Mage 13-2- yeah, you're right, I guess forties is way too old, but I want to keep things as realistic as possible. That's changed now, since he's about as old as August and Neal.**

**Nichole Peach- I know, Ven's older now. He's going to have a HUGE part to play, just you wait!**

CHAPTER 11

_Jake knew he was asleep. What else would explain what the hell was going on? He kept having visions that changed with each second and right before he could get a clear look at what was happening…_

_…He saw himself standing with two others whose names and faces escaped him at the moment, but he felt as if he should know them. But at first glance, he could tell that they weren't human. _Humanoid_, but not _human_…_

_…He saw himself swinging what looked to be a sword, slashing through weird forms of blackness taking semi-human shapes. But as the sword held still for just a moment, he saw that it wasn't a sword, rather an enormous key…_

_…He saw himself fighting a man in a black cloak, his face framed by shoulder-length hair, and the fact that it was pink did nothing to make him look less intimidating. Jake fought with the key of his last scene, and the man wielded a long scythe…_

_He saw himself hugging and laughing five people. Three of them weren't human, like the ones from his last vision, but two of them were. And they looked almost familiar, but he couldn't quite place a name with their faces…_

_…He was falling, Into what and from where he had no clue. He couldn't even see a thing. Not blackness, but literally nothing, as if he had lost all sense of sight. He could hear nothing, feel nothing, smell nothing, the only thing he knew was that he was falling…_

_Suddenly, Jake regain control of his faculties, and scanned where he was. He expected himself to be finally awake, but from the bizarreness of this new scene, he was sadly mistaken._

_"What the hell?" Jake's voice echoed as the landscape of the dream finally stopped changing, and he was in a place of nothing but pure light. He could feel solid ground on his feet, but he didn't see anything of the sort._

_"I see your finally waking." Said a cheerful voice. "Not literally of course, but you're memories are coming back."_

_Jake turned to see a boy his age, his height, and as he looked closer, his exact facial features. The kid was almost the spitting image of Jake, except his hair was shorter (but no less spikey) and blond._

_"Another figment of my imagination?" Jake asked sarcastically._

_The kid chuckled. "I've been called worse. You're Curse-induced assholeness isn't the issue now. Henry knows what he's talking about. You're more than who you think you are Sora. You just gotta-" He was cut off by Jake's cacophony of snide laughter._

_"Oh god, Henry is really getting to me!" Jake started to sober up, looking at the indignant kid. "Alright, I'm waking up now." Jake put all his thoughts to waking up, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in concentration. When he opened his eyes, he found that nothing changed. Only the kid now looked like he was the one about to laugh his ass off._

_"Don't worry," the kid said. "The Curse will break with due time. Should be soon now. And on another note, you _will_ be waking up in…'bout five seconds, by Ms. Wilmas."_

_"I need to get those damn fairytales out of my-"_

_"Three. Two. One."_

SLAM!

Jake woke up immediately, shaken slightly from the noise, and looked up to see the culprit of the noise, the wrinkled hippopotamus in a wig everyone called their Pre-Algebra teacher, Ms. Wilmas, who glared daggers at the boy, holding her yardstick threateningly.

Jake only grinned the most obnoxious grin he had. "Good morning to you too! Bit early to wake me up, don't ya think? Class hasn't even ended yet!"

"OUT!" Wilmas barked, pointing her yardstick at the class door.

Jake knew the drill. He had gone through these more times than he could count. No pun intended, because he really sucked at math.

"Yeesh, _not_ a morning person," he said on the way out, loud enough for her to hear. He could only imagine the look on her face, and that sent the boy giggling.

Pissing off teachers was one of his favorite hobbies, aside of course key-making, and the laughter elicited from the class, the cleverness of his jokes, and the way those old jackasses would fume eased the pain that his life would inevitably bring. It made detention worth it.

Today's incident was just out of habit. Recently, he found himself not having to irritate his elders for the sake of a few laughs. Ever since the mine collapse, he had begun hanging out with Allison, and soon after, her friend May. She had been wary of Jake for the first few days, but quickly warmed up to the broody kid. She and Allison found that when he wasn't too busy hating the world, Jake was pretty cheerful and friendly (especially when Allison would insist on calling him a "lazy bum". He kept saying it got old really fast, but that in no way discouraged her from using the nickname).

He saw that as a real change too. Around other people, Jake felt like he had to make a labored effort to communicate, which is why he learned to dislike it so much, marking him as the school pariah. He used to believe that trying to make friends was nothing more than a waste of time. But around Allison and May, their friendship just clicked. It was if such a thing was 100% natural, like it was fated to happen. Or as if they had done all this before.

Jake shook those thoughts out of his mind. It was beginning to sound an awful lot like the Curse that Henry was talking about.

Ever since the two had become friends, albeit awkward ones, they took advantage of passing each other on the streets or seeing each other at Granny's to talk. Jake tried not to talk much with Henry's adopted mother, because she flat out scared the shit out of him, or his birth mother, because he didn't want the sheriff becoming suspicious of him.

Allison and May had met Henry too. Allison became fond of Henry, she thought he was adorable and a great kid, and May's energetic and eccentric nature made Henry almost out of breath with laughter. He let them both in on his little "Operation Cobra" (Jake tried his hardest not to laugh at the name), which involved "getting the fairytale characters to remember" (that led to a very awkward silence). Luckily, the teens managed to humor him for the sake of his feelings.

Jake's dream did nothing to stop him thinking of Henry's stories. He wasn't sure what to make of it. He knew that he shouldn't give it any thought, seeing how dreams hardly ever make sense anyways.

As he was passing the bathrooms, he saw a group of jocks leaning on their lockers as if their scent would be a blessing to whatever poor souls those lockers belonged to, and they looked to see Jake walking towards them. They abandoned their conversations immediately, and began to surround Jake, circling him like vultures around a carcass.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite retard," one of them said. By the way the others followed him like mongrels, he must be their leader.

Jake knew about these assholes. Aside from Tyler, they were the self-proclaimed alphas of the school. That and Jake's status automatically made the school outcast their favorite punching bag.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm walking?" Jake snapped at them. He knew that if he tried to piss them off, he'd make it worse for himself. It's just that kowtowing was something he simply _did not do_. He never went down without giving everything he had. If he was going to get the living snot beaten out of him, he was going to have it done in style.

"Ooh, that wasn't friendly," one of them said. The hood of his sweatshirt was up so only everything below his eyes were visible. "Y'know, I think we ought to teach this little shit here a lesson."

"You said it," the only girl among them said. Before Jake could react, he was being dragged into the boy's bathroom, and having his head repeatedly dipped into the toilet.

"You like that you little fucker?" Jake could barely hear them as he tried desperately to keep the toilet water from entering his mouth, and kept breathing between dips. All he was able to hear were the taunts from his tormentors and the splashes of toilet water that increased as he struggled harder.

Jake thought that they would release him by now, but they didn't. For a moment, Jake forgot that these were high school kids. He forgot that they had never killed anyone in their whole lives.

In that very moment, Jake honestly believed that these idiots would kill him. That they would drown him in a toilet, and do it all with glee.

Suddenly, he felt the iron grip of the jocks leave him, and he wormed himself out of the toilet, running a hand over his drenched and smelly face and hair. Jake would have thought that the jocks got tired of tormenting the poor, innocent boy, and moved onto something else.

What Jake saw left his jaw dropping.

He saw _Tyler_, of all people, beating the crap out of one of the jocks, he was the only one in the bathroom, so Jake guessed the others ran away.

Jake watched the entire scene in awe as he watched Tyler fight with strength, speed, and agility that would surely make both Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris green with envy. He saw Tyler dodge each punch swiftly, countering each blow with one of his own, which hit with unbelievable speed and accuracy. Within minutes, the jock was on the ground, struggling to stay conscious and to zone out the pain of his likely fractured bones.

Jake's gaze switched from the jock to Tyler, and finally settled on his former tormentor turned savior. He looked at him with a mixture of shock, confusion, awe, gratitude, and fear. Jake assumed that Tyler would make some kind of arrogant remark about saving his ass, would help Jake up, or something like that. Instead, his eyes were locked on the semi-conscious jock, his expression saying it all.

_What the hell did I just do?_

Jake saw a hand on Tyler's shoulder, gripping firmly. He didn't even need to see the face to know it was a teacher who was ready to bust both their asses. Hardly anyone else would be stupid enough to mess with Tyler after what happened here.

Jake's only thought as he was being dragged to the principal's office: _I'm so screwed_.

* * *

Tyler sat in the seat right outside the door of Gunderson's office, not aware and not concerned with how much time had passed. The final bell had wrung about a half-an-hour ago, and he was sure that he, Jake, and the kid he beat up were the only kids still in the school.

He was far too busy trying to process all that's happened. That kid, Jimmy was his name, was someone he knew as a friend. Well, that's not true. He didn't have any real friends. It had become almost a foreign concept to him. In truth, Tyler thought Jimmy was a total jackass. He had no respect for him whatsoever. The people he hung out with, the things he did, it was all something he felt was instinctual, like he had no choice but to be the person he hated so much.

But when he saw Jake getting beaten up, something had just _clicked_ inside him. In that moment, he wasn't Tyler Canton anymore. It was if that persona he had built up since the first day of high school instantly shriveled up into nothing, awakening something else that had been buried beneath it. Defending Jake had been instinctive of him then. It was like the times that he bullied the poor kid faded away, and he had become his best friend, someone Tyler would protect with his life.

Only when he was finished beating the crap out of Jimmy, did Tyler realize what he did, and why. Actually, he had no real idea _why_. Sure, it was to help Jake, but why would he do that? How did the disdain and resentment he held for Jake go away just like _that_?

On another note, he had absolutely no idea where those fighting skills came from. Tyler had never been in a real, honest fight. Sure, he had beaten others up, more often than he'd care to admit, but none of them had ever fought back. And Jimmy was the captain of the school's underground fight club (the nuns of the school thought wrestling was far too violent, and they were already considering themselves lenient by allowing football), and everyone stayed out of the way of him and his posse, even Tyler.

And yet, Tyler had fended them all off and sent three of them running as if fighting was in his very blood.

Tyler hardly even noticed Jake leave the office and sit down on the chair next to him.

"Hey."

All Tyler did was turn his head slightly at Jake, barely looking at him. He didn't expect any gratitude or sympathy from him. Why would he? All Tyler ever did was treat the boy like crap, and he wasn't naïve enough to think that it could all be amended in just a few minutes.

Jake didn't think so either. If anything, he hoped that Tyler would suffer for what he did, like he suffered because of him.

But seeing Tyler like this, wallowing in self-loathing, it seemed to make something inside him _tick_. He felt like he needed to comfort him.

Tyler finally turned, and saw Jake patting him lightly on the shoulder, giving a sympathetic, but slightly reluctant, smile.

"Thanks," that was all Jake said, but Tyler was no less grateful. He felt like he should say something, but all he could muster was just one word.

"Sorry." Jake looked at Tyler, his expression saying _you picked a damn-fine time to say that_, but just for a moment, and he gave Tyler a small nod of understanding.

Jake couldn't forgive Tyler. At least not right away.

* * *

If they could, the two be seeing the spectral forms of two other teenagers standing together, hand in hand. One was the blond boy from Jake's dreams, the other a girl, who shared the boy's blond hair and blue eyes.

"They're getting there," Roxas smiled.

"Maybe not friends again yet, but they will be," said Naminé, sharing his smile.

**Roxas and Naminé are in the picture! :)**

**The kids who beat Sora up are Seifer (Jimmy), Fuu, Rai, and Vivi, just so you know.**

**I'll get to the next chapter as soon as I can. It's going to be some Sora/Kairi/Riku friendship bonding, and the one after that is going to concern Ventus. Stay tuned!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, I have to be honest, I'm disappointed in the lack of reviews. I know my story isn't the best fic in the KH section, but hey, my writing is progressing! That's why I'm officially making a point not to review until I get at least three reviews. Sorry, but it's time for a little tough love. Consider yourselves warned!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Nichole Peach, the only one decent enough to leave a review for every chapter. Thanks Nichole! :)**

**PS: here are some KICKASS Yuffie/Riku fanfics that made me a YuRiku shipper!**

**"Anything But Dreaming" by The Rickaboo**

**"Life of the Party" and "Collide" by Mademoiselle Anime Amour**

**"Why Don't You Kiss Her?" and "He's With Me" by Forever Yours. Always**

**"The Two Gallon Bag of Green Apple Salt Water Taffy" by SecretAgent99**

CHAPTER 12

"Gold!"

The Dark One casually glanced from behind the counter of his shop, to see none other than Regina Mills come into his shop. She looked unhappy, but then again, what else was new? Ever since that incident with the chipped cup, his attitude hardly changed, in an attempt to get Regina to think he was hardly worried about what she'd do.

Of course, he _was_ worried. He hadn't planned on her finding out he remembered. Perhaps he had been a bit reckless concerning his pre-curse persona. That's exactly why he made the deal with her concerning Kathryn Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard. To have some level of influence over her. Rumplestiltskin was nothing if not strategic, and he never acted unless he had a contingency plan to a contingency plan.

"Problem, your Majesty?" Gold hardly looked up as he continued polishing a golden lamp, not seeing, but well aware of the infuriated expression on Regina's face.

"Yes," Regina said. "We have a problem that concerns the both of us. I have reason to believe that _Lea_ remembers who he is."

This seemed to get Gold's attention, as he put the lamp down, and faced Regina.

"Is that so?" Gold asked, and Regina nodded. "How intriguing. And why would you think that our aspiring Keybearer is coming back?"

"He's behaving the exact same way he did _before_ the Curse hit," Regina answered, a twinge of annoyance apparent in her tone.

Gold smirked, not needing to ask about Lea's mannerisms. Actually, he just plain didn't _want_ to ask. He had heard the question "got it memorized?" more times than he cared to, from both Lea and his Nobody.

Lea was a rather interesting case. When Axel, Lea's Nobody, died, instead of fading into oblivion like other Nobodies, be became merged with Lea, much like Sora and Kairi's Nobodies. How this happened was a mystery, one that Gold was unable to solve. He thought it may have been some trick Axel thought up while in Organization XIII, but he wasn't sure.

He had less than fond memories of Lea, as well as his Nobody, Axel. Of all the members of Organization XIII, Axel seemed to be the only one who had some level of morality. Gold often made deals with the Organization, and their business relationship soured when they had tried numerous attempts to turn him into a Heartless.

The Dark One made Xaldin, or what was left of the Nobody, an example to the Organization, should he ever hear from them again.

He remembered Lea during the war against Xehanort. He wasn't exactly warmly welcomed by all his allies, but he didn't mind. It seems that thanks to the debts he owed young Sora, he fought on his side during the battle. He hadn't seen sight nor sound of the young Keyblader since then, not that he cared.

Okay, that was a lie, maybe he did care. The boy, along with the two Disneyans* he traveled with, were about the closest things he could call friends. It didn't hurt Sora's case that in some respects, he reminded the Dark One of his son. That sense of determination for the sake of his loved ones, the spark of innocence ever-present in his eyes, and that ability to find hope where there was none.

Sora was far too much like Bae, and though he would protect what little friends he had, Rumplestiltskin had no intention of the former getting in the way of his pursuit of the latter.

"And what exactly do you want _me_ to do about it?"

"I want him _out of the way_." Regina knew that Gold knew what she was talking about. "He's a threat, and you know how I like to deal with threats." _Rip out their hearts and crush them into dust_, Regina silently added.

"Ah," Gold smirked. "You see dearie, I can't work on both your problem with Mary Margaret and Mr. Flynn at the same time, so you'll have to choose one."

"As long as he is alive, he remains a threat, not just to me, but to us both" Regina snapped. "You found a way to remember, so did Flynn. Who knows whether or not he'll get others to remember who they really are." Regina fumed as Gold's smirk grew.

"That would be an issue for _you_, Regina, not _me_."

"One of the first people he's likely to get to first will be the _other_ Keybearers." Regina said this as if both their lives depended on it, but Gold simply smirked.

"Well I guess that means their little group of friends shall be back together then."

"Is this a joke to you?!" Regina almost shouted.

"No, but I do find it funny, that you think _I_ should be the one getting my pants wet," Gold said simply. "The last time they and I parted ways, it was as neutral parties. I don't think I can say the same for you, dearie."

Regina frowned. "So you won't help get rid of Lea?"

"No, but I will give you a fair warning, free of charge" Gold leaned in, his smile no less threatening without the pointed, rotting teeth. "You touch a single, spikey hair, on that boy's head," Regina knew that he was talking about Sora. "And you won't live long enough to know what's hit you."

* * *

"And you'll call me if anything happens?"

"Mom-"

"If want a ride home, don't hesitate to call me."

"Mom-"

"And are you sure you have enough money?"

"Mom!" The third time had finally got the attention of Jake's mother.

"Yes?"

"I promise, I'll be fine," Jake insisted. He knew his mother was worried. This was the first time he had ever gone out with friends. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had friends to go out with.

"Okay. Just call me if you need anything. Alright?" Jake nodded to his mother, who proceeded to her usual custom of planting a cheek on Jake's spikey head of hair. He always hated how it just spiked on its own. He briefly thought about using gel or something, but he would rather have hair that's crazy on its own than put some crazier product on his head.

He planned to meet Allison and May at the Miner's Day festival. It was a big occasion, and at May's insistence, they decided to meet each other there.

As Jake rushed through the streets, he saw Allison and May just a block away from him. He rushed over, minding the cars, and greeted them.

"Hey guys," Jake smiled.

"Yo! Jakerooni!" May said incredibly randomly, sending both Jake and Allison into a fit of intense laughter.

"'Jakerooni'?" Allison asked breathlessly. "That was _so_ random."

"Yeah," Jake said as when the laughter died down. "Really May? Is it a habit of yours to make up a new nickname for me every day? At least Allison's consistent with calling me a 'lazy bum'!"

She shrugged. "My sense of humor's weird, true, but it keeps me sane!

Jake shook his head, and joined his friends to head to the festival. On the way, May inwardly smirked as Jake's and Allison's hands brushed against each other's ever-so-gently, but that didn't stop their faces getting red as a beet. They continued walking, almost at a faster pace, hoping that no one saw them.

_Oh how wrong they are_, May thought gleefully.

May knew of the secret crush they both harbored for the other, even if the other wasn't aware. Jake always laughed at Allison's jokes, even when they weren't funny. Sure, he laughed at May's jokes, but her jokes _are_ funny! Plus, Allison was the one who got Jake Shaffer, the school antisocial, to hang out with another human being. In May's book, that couldn't spell anything other than romantic attraction.

While it was amusing to see those two constantly dancing around each other, May wondered when they'd finally get together. She didn't know much about dating, since no guy was able to stand her sheer awesomeness, so there wasn't much advice she could give to Allison regarding dating. While they were at lunch one day, May casually asked when Allison and Jake would go out, but that got nothing out of the girl but furious blushing and insistent denial on their parts, and knowing smirks on May's.

May didn't mind Jake, and she thought he and Allison were cute together. He was a nice guy too,

But if he hurt her, he'd kick his ass to hell and drag it back just to kick it there again.

* * *

Tyler just walked aimlessly. He made polite nods to people he knew, but made no attempt to play one of the games, talk with friends, or actually have any fun.

He guessed it was strange, but there was something about the loud sounds and the chatter that made him feel at peace and calmed him down. And right now, that was exactly what he needed.

Life had gotten crazy for Tyler, much crazier than usual. Ever since that incident with Jake, nothing's gone right. Word spread through the school like wildfire. Tyler was suspended, he was kicked off the football team, and his popularity had fallen farther than he ever wished it would. His "friends" abandoned him, all the girls that had swooned over him no longer gave him a second glance, and every teacher that saw him gave him a long, hard, hateful stare.

His dad was hardly concerned with his suspension. All the man really was concerned about was his betting on football games. Tyler figured that he could die, and the only way his father would notice would be if someone came and broke the news to him. Not that Tyler cared anyway. He never had a great relationship with his father, and his dad's apathy towards him gave Tyler a surprising amount of freedom, which he used to his advantage.

Probably the only thing that kept Tyler sane, from how much he hated himself, how much he hated his life, was the possibility of a way out.

Not _that_ kind of a way out. Tyler _had_ thought about suicide, but he perished the thought as soon as it came. He thought about a day when things could get better. He waited for what seemed like an eternity of suffering in silence, hoping for a chance where he could act like a good person and make real, _actual_ friends.

He hardly even noticed that he had bumped into someone, until he bumped into two others and fell to the ground.

"Hey!" said a female voice.

"Watch where-" Tyler was about to finish, but he saw Jake, along with the two girls he's been hanging out with recently.

"Sorry," the red-headed girl said, while the dark haired girl and Jake just glared at him.

"It's fine. Sorry," Tyler said, quickly getting up. He made no motion to keep moving and neither did they. All of them waited for the other to say something, leaving everyone else in an awkward silence.

"So," all of them said at once, and immediately, they were back in silence.

"Well," May finally broke the silence, bless her heart, albeit through sarcasm. "This isn't awkward at all."

Tyler chuckled. May didn't say anything, she just eyed him carefully. She only had a small few interactions with this guy, none of them at all good.

"Do you want to hang out?" May looked to her right, and saw that _Jake_ and _Allison_, _of all people_, were the ones who invited _Tyler Canton_, _of all people_, to _hang out_.

_Are the poles shifting?_ May wondered. _Is up now down? Is left now right? Is blood raining from the sky? Is George Lopez now funny? Did Bush get released from the looney bin? What the hell is going on?_

May began pinching herself, trying to see if this was a dream. The other three didn't seem to notice at all. When she didn't find herself in her uncle's home**, waking to his yelling at his recorded football tapes, she tried envisioning Tyler's head spontaneously combusting, and yet again, nothing happened.

When she finally mentally admitted to herself that this actually was happening, May found that Allison and Jake were having an honest-to-god, _civil conversation_ with each other.

And if that wasn't bad enough, May took a look at Tyler, and saw how he was smiling. Not the usual, arrogant, cocky, nasty smile he usually wore when she saw him. No, this smile was more cheerful, more friendly, and, God forgive her for thinking this…_attractive_!

_That's it_, May concluded mentally. _The whole world's going to hell._

Eyeing a cotton candy booth, she mentally shrugged as she waltzed over to get her and her friends some of the poofy confections, her previous worries instantly melting away at the presence of her sweet tooth.

_If the world's ending, might as well enjoy it while I can._

* * *

As night fell, and Jake, Allison, Tyler, and May had their left hand's holding the candles they had bought. Allison was the first to leave. Her parents had a strict curfew set for her. Jake had to go next, as he didn't want to worry his mother. He expected mocking from Tyler's behalf, but he was surprisingly understanding about it. Neither he nor May seemed to mind much, being left alone together. Jake hesitated, not trusting Tyler much, but May was a tough cookie (no pun intended, seeing all the cookies the girl ate at the festival's bake sale).

The spikey haired brunette couldn't believe that the same kid who tormented him just a few weeks ago, was walking with him just a few _minutes_ ago, as if they were best friends for years.

Jake thought it might be a long shot, and he wasn't all that sure if he wanted to, but maybe, he and Tyler might just get past everything.

Who knows? Maybe they might even be able to call each other friends.

"Dark out, ain't it?" came a gruff voice from behind Jake. "Good thing we've got them candles."

Jake turned around to see a large man. Well, large was an understatement, this guy was bigger than his biology teacher, and that's saying something. He was in a suit, like he just came from a convention for doughnut addicts. The man's face was unshaven, a gross amount of dark stubble covering his chubby face.

"Uh…yeah," Jake said, unsure of the stranger.

"Miner's Day, a day probably only second to Christmas," the man said, smiling. It was pleasant enough, but the man's smile was unsettling. It almost made his upper lip hair seem like whiskers, his ears slightly pointed, it made his features seem almost…_feline_.

"You enjoy the festival, did you now?" the man asked, his smile turning even more unsettling, almost predatorial. "You're friends too?"

_Oh god_, Jake through. _Is this what happens to pretty-boys when they go out in public?_

"S'alright, just wanted to say hello is all," the man said, holding out his hand. "Name's Pete."

"Uh, Jake," he shook Pete's hand, and found surprising strength in the man's grip.

"Jake, eh?" by the way he asked, it seemed less of a casual statement, and more of a genuine question. His voice had a hint of disbelief, as if he expected a different answer.

"Well, you have a nice night there, Jake." Pete gave one last smile before walking away.

_Yeesh_, Jake thought as he walked home with a rather quick pace. _Pervert much?_

**(GASP) PETE'S HERE! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!**

***What I'm calling the residents of Disney Castle. I know, a bit of a cliché, adding –ians to the end of a place to describe their people, but I want to add a more mystic element to our beloved Disney characters!**

****Just to keep the characters closer, Cursed-Yuffie is going to be living with her uncle, Cursed-Cid.**

**So what's in store for our Cursed Keybladers? Could Yuffie's thoughts be a foreshadowing? Could Sora end up hurting Kairi? Could it be the other way around? Will Sora accept Riku as his friend again? What part is Pete going to play? Will he be a danger to Sora, Kairi, and Riku? Remember, review, and you'll find out!**

**And for those of you who think Cursed-Yuffie's sense of humor is doofy, well…deal with it! ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, the only reason this came out so fast was because it was already partially written, and I already had a good idea of where it would go. But I won't be returning for a while, as I have two other fics I have obligations to, and they're both overdue for an update.**

**Nichole Peach- yeah, I'm glad you reviewed for every chapter too! ;)**

**HeartofFyrwinde- I too am a sucker for interesting plot twists! :)**

**Dark Mage 13-2- yeah, sorry I had to enforce that pet-peeve, but I just got tired of a lack of reviews, and I had to resort to tough love.**

**KingdomKeyblade- I'm glad you like it!**

**Kupkake- Sorry. The Curse is going to break soon, so all will be well!**

**Guest- I just had to add Pete here, I absolutely LOVE great KH fanfics that include the Disney characters.**

CHAPTER 13

_Ventus was great at moving from world to world with his Keyblade. Sometimes to the point of Aqua and Terra never traveling to another world without their young friend. With a Keyblade in hand, he had no trouble finding his way between the worlds. That's why when Ventus escaped the black smoke, he believed he would safely make it to Disney Castle, with absolutely no problems._

_Unfortunately, Terra loaned Ventus his Keyblade, and the only one the boy had ever used was his own.*_

_Instead of landing in the throne room of Disney Castle like he had expected, he was surprised to see himself surrounded by dense jungles, and a bunch of guys shrouded in cloaks. They didn't look like they were from Organization XIII though. Their cloaks were dark brown, and as they all turned to Ventus, he could see that the oldest wasn't even older than he was._

_They clearly weren't friendlies either, judging from how they immediately produced bows ready to shoot at Ventus's throat and clubs prepared to bash his head in._

_"Uhhhh…" Ventus had never been to this world before, so he didn't know how to appease them. "Hey there…"_

_"Silence!" One of the yelled. "We know what to do. All children here belong to Pan"_

_Uh-oh. Ventus knew where he was now._

_Neverland, the realm of Peter Pan._

_The one place no person his age wanted to be._

_"He has a Keyblade too," one of them said. "He could be the one he's looking for." Ventus didn't know what he meant, but from the unpleasant smiles on their faces, he guessed something good for them, and bad for him._

_Right before Ven was about to unleash the full fury of his Keyblade training, a sharp blow to the head sent him falling to the ground. Barely conscious, he could feel himself being dragged, and he could hear fragments of sentences that didn't make any sense to him._

_"The Shadow…"_

_"Peter Pan…"_

_"…displeased…"_

_"The Truest Believer…"_

_"…need his heart…"_

_"…not him…"_

_Ven managed to see one thing for a split second, and though he only saw a glimpse, he knew he would remember every last detail._

_On a piece of parchment, was a boy. Ventus had never seen him before and hadn't the faintest clue who he was. He looked to be about ten years old._

_Ventus groaned in pain as he felt his hair being yanked and he heard a young but cruel voice. "Too bad. For us, of course, I think Pan would have liked to have the heart of a Keyblader." Ventus felt himself being shoved. "Put him with the rest," the voice snarled._

_Ven felt that he was being dragged again, and when it finally ceased, he could feel himself hanging on the very edge of consciousness._

_"Are you okay?" he heard someone's voice._

_"Mmmphfdjn…I…" Ventus could hardly pronounce a proper word. Damn whichever kid had knocked him out._

_"Hey, wake up."_

_"I…don't…Mmmph," Ven mumbled._

_"You're alright, just wake up. You're fine."_

_It took a while, but Ven finally managed to open his eyes, and when his vision cleared up, he saw a boy, only about a year or two younger than him._

_"Are you alright?" the boy asked._

_"Hm," Ventus groaned. "I've had better days," he smirked slightly. If Aqua or Terra were here, they'd probably scold him for trying to be funny at a time like this._

_The boy though, didn't seem to get the joke. Ven looked around, and saw that he was in some kind of dungeon. All around him, he saw young boys, some hugging others, some curled into little balls against the walls or in corners, all of them contributing to a collective sound that Ventus couldn't tell was crying or laughing._

_"We're in Neverland," he said. "This is the home of the Lost Boys-"_

_"Yeah," Ven interrupted. "I know, it's the ruling world of Peter Pan," He thought the boy would be put off, but he actually seemed interested that he knew._

_"You know about this world?"_

_"Yep, and all the others," Ventus finally got to his feet and held out his hand._

_"I'm Ventus, Ven for short," the boy shook it._

_"I'm Baelfire," Baelfire returned Ventus's smile. "But everyone calls me Bae."_

* * *

Ventus grumbled as he woke up, unhappy with the dream he had.

_It never ends, does it?_

Ventus got up from the bed of his trailer. He had gotten this when he first learned to drive in this world. Well, he _stole_ it actually, with skills he and Bae had acquired in their time in this land.

Bae and Ven had stolen back the Keyblade from Peter Pan. Neither of them had known how long they had stayed in Neverland, for time had absolutely no meaning there. When they escaped, barely with their lives, and Ven told the Keyblade to take him to the land where the Curse had taken everyone, which coincidently, happened to be the land without magic. Ventus was dumbfounded to learn that his friend was in Neverland for almost 300 years.

For the first few years, he and Bae had stuck together, learning how to survive. They got by mainly through stealing. Both the boys always had mixed feelings about what they did, but they had certain rules when it came to stealing. They never took from anyone who has less than they did, and they only took what would could be replaced. And for the next

They had parted ways when Ven was 26 and Bae was 25. Ventus was determined to find the place where the Curse had taken all his friends, but his friend wasn't so eager. Baelfire had no intention of ever returning to the father that abandoned him.

Ven spent the next ten years trying to find the place the Curse sent his friends. He didn't rest, he never took a break from searching. For an agonizing decade, he tried to find the friends that he had lost. That decade had drastically changed him. He was still able to revert back to that cheerful boy everyone knew and loved, but he was more pessimistic, more doubtful. Ventus was halfway through giving up, when by sheer luck, he found Pinocchio, who had aged as well. Pinocchio knew where everyone was, in a town called Storybrooke, and he was headed there as well. Pinocchio, though he insisted on being called August, believed it would be better if he went there alone, and Ventus hide out where no one could see him. Ven reluctantly agreed, knowing that two visitors would rouse the Evil Queen's suspicions.

Ventus still went into town occasionally, just to see his friends. He had seen Terra, though he seemed to answer to the name Ryan now, and spoke with him on several occasions. The man seemed to find Ven annoying. At least one thing never changed. He saw Riku, Merlin, and even Kairi, but he hadn't seen anyone else yet.

Ven was about to reach into his mini-fridge, eager to nourish his tired mind with a nice breakfast, when his cell phone rang, with the ringtone the music from "Get Smart". Usually, the ringtone would bring a smile to the blond man's face, but this early in the morning and just after waking up from an unpleasant, Ven was half ready to smash the device.

"Hello?" Ven asked as he picked up the phone. There was no caller ID, so he was curious to see who it was.

"Hey," Ventus recognized August's voice. "You there?"

"Yeah, I need to be here if I'm to pick up the damn phone!" Ventus said irritably.

"Good," usually August would make some kind of equally snide remark, but the fact that he didn't made Ven worried. "This is taking too long, we need to accelerate the plan."

"What's wrong?" Ventus asked, concerned. He could hear August make some kind of pained groan, which didn't help his worry.

"I'm turning faster," August said, fear laced in his voice. "It's coming up to my waist, and soon I'll hardly be able to walk. Or even breathe"

"What do we do?" Ven asked. "Neither of us have magic."

"What about Rumplestiltskin?" August asked. "If anyone would have magic, it would him. Or the Queen? If we get magic from them, they can heal me, and restore your Keyblade."

Ventus frowned. When he came to this world, like all magic, his Keyblade lost its power. The first few years of being here, the thing was a pain to drag around. Right now, it was buried right outside of town. "Even if they do have magic here, what makes you think…" Ventus trailed off, finally understanding a way to save his friend. It might be a small chance, but it'll be a chance nonetheless.

"You still there?" asked August's worried voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Ven said. "We're in luck though, I think I know a way to get 'Stiltskin to do what you want."

"How?" August was sounding desperate.

"There's a dagger," Ventus began to say, word for word, the same story Baelfire told him about the Dark One many years ago. "A dagger with the true name of the Dark One inscribed on the blade. Whomever wields the dagger, controls the Dark One. And whomever kills the Dark One with the dagger, will take his place."

August was silent for a few minutes, and Ven could practically hear the gears turning in his head, working out a plan. "I think I know how to get the dagger, Ven."

"How?"

"I'll pretend to be Neal. Then he'll practically give it to me if I ask him."

Ventus's jaw dropped at the former-puppet's words. Was he out of his goddamn mind? "That's never going to work, you look nothing like the man!"

"Well, it's my only chance, and right now, I don't have much to lose."

"Except your life, August!"

"Yeah, well I'm going to die anyway!" August snapped.

"Ohh, if Stiltskin finds out this is a trick, I'm sure you'll find out there are things worse than death," Ventus assured.

Ven could hear a humorless laugh from the other line. "I think we both know that. More than most." August said before he hung up.

* * *

"So," Pete asked, sitting in the guest chair of Regina's office. "You want me to tail ol' Axel, find out what he's up to?"

The Disneyan was no less revolting than he was in his original form, but at least he looked human. Well, barely. Though he was a pathetic, cowardly swine with no values whatsoever, Pete was a good ally. He may be stupid, but he was sneaky, violent, and above all, obedient.

In Storybrooke, he was Pete Benning, one of Storybrooke's more wealthy residents. He owns several of the shops, including the one that Tom Clark, aka Sneezy the dwarf, works at.

"That's right," Regina said. "I also want you to keep a close eye on his friends too, Sora, and the other Keybladers." At mere mention of Sora, Pete fumed noticeably.

"When do I get to get rid of those brats?! S'bout time they get what's comin' to em!"

"Agreed," Regina said. "But Gold, it seems, gives a damn about them. So you may do so, but at your own risk." At the Dark One's mention, Pete visibly shuddered. He had never worked for the Dark One, mainly because the forces he worked for kept their distance from him.

"Nevermind 'bout that then," Pete said. "I'll just tail Axel."

"You'll tell me everything he does," Regina ordered. "Everything from where he goes, who he speaks to, and if he so much as takes a breath that raises suspicion."

"Right ho, your majesty," Pete grinned. "Just leave it all to ol' Pete!"

Regina's neutral expression told Pete to leave immediately, which he did, leaving the mayor to think about the possibility of the Keybladers remembering.

Even if Sora and Kairi kissed, which was unlikely, seeing how their Curse was to be kept apart, they were both under the Curse, so their memories wouldn't come back. The other part of the Curse was them forgetting who they really are, and live false lives with false personalities. Maybe, if Regina was lucky, they just might destroy themselves for her.

She could live with that.

***I know this is not how Keyblades work, just bear with me!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed. I've got something to tell you guys. I originally wanted to keep the level of Disney-stuff to a minimum, but the temptation has gotten too great, and I MUST have more Disney! So I decided to do the traditional "villains gang up to rule the worlds" gig. I even plan to "Once Upon a Time-ify" some of the villains, and add a few personal twists.**

**REMEMBER: What I said about updates and reviews applies for this story and my other ones. You have been warned, LOL.**

* * *

**Sneak peek of what is to come…**

"You're trying to find Kingdom Hearts, aren't you?" Henry accused. "Just like Maleficent, she wanted-"

"Oh no, Henry," Peter Pan smirked. "We don't care about Kingdom Hearts any more. We're searching for something far more powerful. Maleficent couldn't find it because she lacked patience. If she didn't, well, she'd have found it by now. What we're looking for is a power that can undo reality, remake entire worlds, and plunge all of that is, into the darkest darkness. A power above all powers. Our greatest weapon in the war that's to come."

"What?" Henry asked hesitantly. "What are you looking for?" Henry resisted the urge to tremble as Pan's smile became demented.

"You."

**Stay tuned…**


	14. Chapter 14

**And we're back! Cue music! Get the streamers! Throw confetti! This will be the chapter is where the Curse finally breaks! But be forewarned…this will end on a major cliffhanger. Plus, there are a few drug and alcohol references, and some suggestive themes. Tread carefully.**

**DisneyFreak-Lover- thanks! And I intend to add much more Disney! Just you wait!**

**fluteprincess95- what you say is nothing short of humbling! Thanks, that means a lot! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to blend the characters from the two universes together. I'm glad I was wrong for once in my life! ;)**

**Xehanorto- welcome back my friend! I'm glad you like it!**

**Dark Mage 13-2- I think it was a bit too early to add a Season 3 sneak peek so early, but I couldn't resist! I just HAD to add that, and you DO NOT mess with my muse! LOL.**

**Nichole Peach- yeah, it's sad that OUAT took that turn with Pan, but personally I think he makes a kickass villain nonetheless. And the story of Pete in Storybrooke will be introduced soon enough, don't you worry! And who doesn't love Disney? I mean, the cooperation itself is pure evil, but you GOTTA love its movies and characters!**

**Kupkake- fear not, I respond to everyone's reviews (except for spams and flames of course)! No review is too small, no question too stupid! LOL.**

CHAPTER 14

"I usually don't go to these parties!" Jake yelled, trying to make his voice heard over the blaring music. "And after hearing the music, I know why!"

Allison smirked. "Yeah, I'm not much of a party-person myself!"

Tyler, who had, believe it or not, managed to become friends, or semi-friends, with Jake, Allison, and May. Much of the awkwardness between the four had dissolved.

It seems that one of Tyler's nicer friends, Conner, had invited him to a party, and Tyler wanted Jake, Allison, and May to come with him. None of them really liked the idea of going to a late-night party filled with scantily-clad girls and testosterone-infused boys, but this was obviously Tyler's idea of some kind of peace offering, and Jake wanted to put the past behind him.

Making friends with Tyler, oddly, was as easy as making friends with Allison and May. It was if it all flowed naturally together somehow, once they got past the times they antagonized one another.

"I'm gonna get some more chex-mix!" Jake yelled. The chex-mix was not only great, but it was probably one of the few things at the whole party that one can ingest and not go to prison for it.

"Okay! Can you bring me some?!" Allison yelled back. _Damn this music!_ She thought. _Do these people actually want to pop their eardrums?_ Jake shouted something Allison could hear, and gave a thumbs up, meaning he understood her, before getting lost in the crowds of people.

Allison was honestly really nervous about being here. She and May rarely went to parties or school events. Usually, they both went to get dinner at Granny's together, and on some occasions, May would coax her into throwing water balloons full of paint at some of the popular kid's houses. Allison had only ever thrown one balloon, and to this day, her head kept darting left and right, expecting the sheriff to come and take her to jail for vandalism, or an angry jock come to avenge his house. Still, that was probably the most fulfilling five seconds of her life.

Speak of the devil, May was in the living room, showing off her "mad dance moves", her words, not Allison's. She had once told May never to dance in public, and Allison surely thought her best friend's dancing where everyone could see her would get the poor girl kicked out of the party. Killing Allison's expectations, a long line of guys formed almost immediately, all waiting to dance with the hyperactive and eccentric teen. Allison laughed madly as boy after boy came up to dance with her, only to be dragged or pushed away by another. May either didn't know or didn't care, too engrossed in the way the music moved her.

"Hey Ally."

Allison turned, expecting to see May, because she was one of the few, aside from her parents, that called her by that name. Instead, she saw Tyler.

"Oh, hey Tyler," Allison said politely.

"You enjoyin' the party?" Tyler said huskily, moving slightly closer to Allison, which made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Uh," Allison desperately hoped she wasn't as red as she felt. "Yeah…"

"You want to enjoy…something else?" Tyler said suggestively, as Allison recognized the slight slur in his voice and the horrible smell of his breath, that he was drunk.

"Uh, Tyler, I think you need to go home, you're drunk…" Allison began to walk away, but Tyler's hand grabbed her wrist as he pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers. Allison yelped slightly as Tyler began kissing her. Her initial reaction was to push him away, she was pretty sure she could have him arrested or expelled for trying to sexually assault her. But there was something familiar about the way he was holding her, gently almost, a trait that wouldn't be expected from Tyler Canton, who was known to be violent. Her chest began to brush against his, and she felt his rock hard pectoral muscles. God forgive her, but this felt so familiar to her, as if she was plucked from her home and Tyler was the only person within a thousand miles that was born in the same place. She thought she felt a small twinge of guilt, but it was squelched instantly when Allison began kissing back. Nobody noticed two kids making out, because there were about fifty or more kids making out in plain sight, and about two or three threesomes going on.

Allison could have sworn she had heard a crash, and the sound of someone running away, but she was too taken by one of the few things in her life that reminded her of home.

* * *

_God, how can chex-mix be this good?_ Jake thought. _God, I hope nobody drugged it, or else I'm gonna sue_.

After stuffing his face of the wonderful mix of nuts, raisins, and crackers, and grabbing a bowl for him and Allison, he walked through the crowd, trying not to bump into anyone. Being unnoticed was a skill he prided himself in (sometimes, as it can get depressing), and the most mocking he got from everyone were a few dirty glances. Other than that, he was glad he came.

Jake was going to thank Tyler the next time he saw him. It turns out that he was too hard on him. Sure, Tyler had tormented and ignore Jake, but now he saw that the guy really did want to be Jake's friend, and he decided that he should let him. He was finally at the sofa where he and Allison were sitting, when he saw something he wish he didn't.

He closed his eyes and reopened them to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

He wasn't.

What he saw was Tyler passionately making out with Allison. His hands were wrapped around her waist, which were traveling lower and lower. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, and from the looks of things, she was enjoying all of it.

Both bowls of chex-mix dropped from his hand, the sound barely noticeable over the music, but somehow he heard it.

Jake had never gotten his heart broken, he sometimes doubted he had one to break. But this was the first time it happened to him.

Jake had faced his first heartbreak.

And lo and behold, it sucked in _every_ imaginable way.

* * *

Emma Swan, before coming to Storybrooke, couldn't remember the last time she had cried. Even when Neal had stabbed her in the back and gotten her in jail, she didn't allow a single tear to escape her eyes. Sure, she came close more than a couple of times, but she didn't let herself cry. She had gotten the kick in the pants she needed to realize that people were greedy, cruel monsters that would smile at you like your best friend before pushing you over into the shark tank. Sure, there might have been some good people in the world that you could actually count on and be able to call a friend, like Mary Margaret, Archie, Ruby, and a few others she met at Storybrooke, but in total, a majority of human beings would play you like a fool and revel in how much you were hurt.

She had put up walls to keep people away, she decided that friends and family weren't worth the heartbreak. That was one of the reasons why she didn't hold her baby when he was born. She didn't want to form any kind of attachment to him.

And now she knew why.

As the nurse unplugged the machine, Emma kept her eyes on the lifeless form of her son. She briefly wondered if everything really was quiet, or that she really could hear anything. It was probably because she just wasn't listening. She wasn't sure, and she didn't care. She didn't even notice how she was walking slowly to Henry's hospital bed, as if her feet moved on their own accord.

Tears were now falling freely down her face. She wasn't sobbing, not because she forced herself not to, but because she was now hurt beyond crying. Emma was taken back to all those times they had together, those lunches and hot chocolates at Granny's, the times they had read through his storybook, sometimes for Operation Cobra and other occasions to just kill time, and when the two had walked together on the beach, both talking about their lives, Henry eager, Emma not so much.

Now, Emma wishes that she could tell Henry every last detail of her life, and know that like the wonderful child he is, wouldn't judge her, and would continue to love her completely and unconditionally, despite her many faults. She wishes that she could tell him about his father, even though it wouldn't be a happy story.

Emma cursed herself for not holding Henry when he was born. She hated herself for not looking into those hazel eyes that mirrored her own until he was a decade old. She hated that she never believed him about the Curse, even though it sounded crazy. She hated that until now, she didn't realize what an amazing child he is, believing in her when she didn't even believe in herself.

Bending down to Henry's quiet, serene face, she said the one thing she hadn't said to a human being in over ten years, the one thing she vowed never to say to anyone again, but for her only son, she'd say it again and again.

"_I love you, Henry,_" and she gave a small kiss on his forehead.

* * *

_Jump._

Jake stood at the edge of Storybrooke Docks, at the very highest dock. The fall wouldn't be enough to kill him instantly, like he hoped. Just break his bones, leaving him helpless to drown, which sounded quite painful. But at this point, Jake just wanted a sure and quick way to kill himself.

He wasn't sure how long he was there, the only indication was that the sun had finally come up, and he thought he left the party at about eleven or something.

Jake should have seen it coming. He should have known Tyler would have done that. That's all people like him are ever capable of doing. Allison stabbed him in the back. He opened up to her, he trusted her, he _felt_ something for her and she betrayed him.

_Jump._

Why was he even angry? He should have expected something like that.

_For chrissake, jump already._

He was a fool for ever thinking that they'd see him as a friend.

_No one's going to miss you._

If he should have expected it, then why did he feel so hurt?

_No one's going to give a damn._

All he saw was his _friend/crush_ make out with his _sort-of friend_. Was that so heartbreaking?

_Hell, you'd be doing them all a favor._

Why was he so hurt over this? Why did he really think this was something worth killing himself over?

_Isn't that what you wanted for all these years? A way out of all this shit?_

When he thought about how he felt, it wasn't just his crush and sort-of friend.

_Remember how he practically shoved his giant, wet tongue into her mouth? How she did the same?_

It was as if the _love of his life_ was kissing _his best friend_.

_That's it_, Jake thought. _This ends now_.

Jake lifted his foot.

_So-long, fuckers._

He leaned forward.

_Just a little bit forward, and this pain and suffering can all be over._

Suddenly, he fell back and tumbled on the wooden planks as a gust of wind blew over him. A thundering storm of thoughts went through his head.

_Wait no…_

_Not thoughts._

Memories.

"_Kairi_."

Sora remembered.

But not before he lost his balance and was about to fall.

**Okay, please don't hate me for ending at such a cliffhanger, I promise I'll update as soon as I can! The next chapter is mostly written, and I know where I want to go with it, so stay tuned!**

**DISCLAIMER: the part where Tyler (Riku) and Allison (Kairi) make out is made for purposes for my story's plot ONLY. I do not in any way endorse sexual assault, or recommend anyone to let it continue or to go along with it if you see it happen or if it happens to you. The only reason Allison (Kairi) went along with it is because Tyler (Riku) was familiar to her in some way. No means no, got it memorized?**

**PS: whoever in Square Enix that made that Axel/Lea's catchphrase is a damn genius!**

**Don't forget, review. Review, and I'll let Sora live. LOL.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here we are! This chapter will be a bit longer, since it's filled with so many heartfelt reunions!**

**WARNING**** (READ THIS PLEASE!): At the next chapter, this is officially going to go into the crossovers section, so don't freak out if you can't find it.**

**Kingdom Keyblade- To answer your questions, and one can NEVER ask enough questions, this story takes place after KH 3, so Xehanort, Xemnas, and Ansem (both of them) won't make an appearance. The Organization's done for too, so we won't be seeing them. They'll be reference, no doubt, but they won't make any appearances. I'll be bringing in my own host of villains, the same as in KH 1, where they formed a kind of "evil villain league" LOL. You'll be meeting them in this chapter! As for Sephiroth, well seeing how he's a part of Cloud and can never be truly killed, he MIGHT make an appearance, but I can't give away any spoilers!**

**Xehanorto- yup, the moment we've all been waiting for!**

**Guest- relax, do you really think I'd be dumb enough to kill off the main character?**

**DisneyFreak-Lover- thank you!**

**Nichole Peach- don't worry, I love Sora too much to kill him off in my own fic, and Riku and Kairi don't find him, but someone else does!**

**Southern Jaguar94- why thank you! It's so nice to hear this kind of feedback! And I'm usually obsessive compulsive about grammar!**

** -Tales- thank you! I'm humbled by how many people love my story! Thanks for following and favoriting it, and following and favoriting me! Your review just made my day! And no, I would not fangirl if I heard Robert Carlyle do a Rumplestiltskin giggle, mainly because I am a dude, but I do have a list of fanBOY crushes!**

**Dark Mage 13-2- I think the word "prison" really is the more apt term for school. LOL.**

**PS: that Tyler/Allison moment is going to be the ONLY bit of Riku/Kairi romance in the whole fic! Everything else is Sora/Kairi, Riku/Yuffie, Terra/Aqua, Cloud/Tifa, and some Snow/Charming (I'm sort of new at writing romances, so cut me a bit of slack on those if they seem cheesy).**

CHAPTER 15

"Oh my god!" Allison, or rather Kairi, immediately jumped out of her bed, the second after she mentally declared she was so tired she'd never get off of it.

When Allison got home, and faced more than a few lectures about responsibility and crap of that nature, and a lengthy scolding from her mother, she had trouble falling asleep. She spent most of the night thinking about Tyler, wondering whether or not she liked him, and she meant like-like him, not just as a friend. But she could help but keep comparing him to Jake. When she'd think about the way Tyler's hair fell, she'd remind herself that Jake's hair was cuter, despite the unruly spikes. When Allison lost herself in the memory of Tyler's eyes, she'd tell herself that Jake's eyes were more beautiful. Needless to say, Allison was confused about her feelings. But Kairi wasn't. She had been sure about them for a long time. It was almost dawn when she was about to go to sleep, when a lifetime of memories resurfaced. Initially, she thought it was a dream, but when she saw Sora's face, she knew who she was. Not Allison Hewett, but Kairi, one of the Seven the Princesses of Heart.

Without a second thought, Kairi got dressed, and raced out of her room, determined to find Sora, but as she got out, she saw her parents, or her adopted parents, embracing each other and sobbing like they hadn't seen each other in 28 years.

"Mom! Dad!" Kairi shouted as she tackled them both.

"Kairi! Oh, my baby!" said her mother as both the parents enveloped their adopted daughter in a ferocious hug.

"I missed you guys so much," Kairi muffled, her face buried in her dad's shoulder.

"We haven't gone anywhere honey," her dad, the Mayor of the Destiny Islands, said, laughing halfheartedly.

"Still, I missed you." The family continued to hold each other, and Kairi realized that even during the Curse, they never hugged each other like this. It seems that the parents of Allison Hewett were more distant from their daughter, never showing much love or affection.

_Damn Regina_, Kairi thought. _She's going to _pay_ for this_.

When Kairi finally pulled away, she said, "I need to go. I gotta find Sora and Riku-"

"_Hold_ it, young lady," her father ordered sternly. "You're still grounded from last night!"

"Dad!" Kairi exclaimed, surprised. Surely they wouldn't keep her from seeing her best friends, would they?

Thankfully, her dad chuckled. "Just kidding! Go on, go see them! Don't be gone long, though!" Kairi kissed her mother and father on the cheek before racing out the door as fast as her legs could carry her.

Kairi, for a second, considered how strange it all was. Despite the Curse, she, Sora, and Riku managed to become friends again. The Curse gave them memories of being enemies, but they had been able to get past their differences, and become friends so easily.

And she and Riku, or Tyler as he was known then, had kissed (an understatement, they were one first base rallying onto second). She was slightly disturbed by that. Kairi desperately hoped that Sora didn't see them kiss, but the fact that she heard he left the party tells her that he did.

_Gods, Sora, please don't do anything foolish._

Jake was so different from Sora. Before the Curse was broken, Jake Shaffer never spoke to anyone, where it took a conscious effort from Sora not to talk. Jake acted like he hated the very ground he walked on and loathed the air he breathed, while Sora, the pure spirit he was, held love and kindness for everyone.

"I'll find you Sora," if there was anything that Snow and James had taught Kairi, it's that people who love each other, whether it be friends or family, always find each other, no matter what.

* * *

"SORA!"

Less than half a second before Sora fell to his death, a hand shot out and grabbed his hoodie, leaving the boy hanging off the edge of the dock.

"Wha-" before he could ask, Sora was pulled up onto the dock, and saw a blond guy in his mid-thirties, and he looked as if someone just flipped him off.

"What the hell? Are you _crazy_?" the man demanded. "Were you actually trying to _kill_ yourself just now? Are you friggin' stupid?"

"Uh…" Sora was confused. Who was this man? Why did he help him? "Who are you? Do I even know you?"

"What?!" the man shouted indignantly. "What, are you kidding me…Oh, yeah, I grew up," the man chuckled sheepishly. "It's me, Ventus!"

"_Ven_?" Sora's jaw dropped. This guy was Ventus? Last time Sora saw him, they were the same age! "Man, what _happened_ to you?"

"I grew up, short-stack! What do you think happened?" Ventus snapped. "I'd ask you the same question! Why were you just about to kill yourself?"

Sora gaped at the man. He really had changed. If he didn't have almost the same facial structure, same hair, and same eyes, he wouldn't think he was Ventus. The Ven that Sora knew was someone he could relate to, someone he'd love to have as a friend. Now, he wasn't any different than some of the cranky old men back at the islands-

_WAIT A SECOND!_

"Oh my god!" Sora instantly got up. _You idiot! How could you forget?!_ "_Kairi_! _Riku_! I've got to find them!" Sora didn't even remember now that the two of them were making out a few hours ago. All he was thinking about were finding the two people that meant the world to him.

Ven immediately softened up. "Yeah, Sora, you go do that. I've gotta go find…" he trailed off, but Sora knew what he meant. Aqua and Terra, his two best friends. The way his eyes were filled with pain, loss, and regret, he knew without a doubt now, that this was his old friend Ventus. And if Sora was anything, he was someone who looked out for his friends.

"Come on," Sora smiled. "We'll find them together."

* * *

"Holy shit," was Yuffie's first word the second she felt that maelstrom of memories. She remembered Squall, Cid, Aerith, Merlin, Sora, Kairi, Riku, and everyone else. She remembered watching them all being sucked up by the dark clouds, and running helplessly as she was too.

"Yuffie!" Cid's voice came from the other room. He had forgotten all about his football tapes, something his Curse self, Chris Feldman, would see as blasphemy. He crashed into her room, and pulled her a bone-crushing hug. Yuffie yelped slightly, since displays of affection rarely came from the old, technologically inclined curmudgeon.

He might be her uncle in the lives the Curse gave them, but he was no less of an uncle now that it was broken.

"Hey Cid," Yuffie managed to choke out. "I love you and all, but you're crushing me."

"You lil' rascal! Still the same after a long-ass Curse!" Cid snapped, but he loosened the hug a bit, and Yuffie returned it.

"C'mon, let's get off our lazy asses," Cid grumbled. "We've gotta find the others."

* * *

"There over here, I'm sure of it," Principal Gunderson, or Merlin, as he preferred now that the Curse was broken, led Leon, Terra, and Lea to find their friends.

Leon, or Doug, since the Curse didn't break yet then, was trying his hardest to wake Terra, or Ryan, up, after he fell asleep in the men's room of the Rabbit Hole. The drunk had a horrible hangover, and hardly budged, but Doug knew that Ryan was purposefully ignoring him. When the busboy was just about ready to take out the trash, conscious or not, when the wave hit them, and they remembered. That was when Ryan, or Terra, woke up and got up in an instant, proving to Doug, or Leon, conclusively that he was being ignored.

Terra's head pounded as his eyes darted back and forth, looking for that familiar head of blue hair. True, he had an awful hangover, but he ignored it completely focused only on finding his friends. He knew he had seen Aqua before, he saw her a couple of times, except the magics of the Curse had created the illusion that she had black hair. Terra guessed it would be reasonable, since no one of this world had blue hair, at least not naturally.

He wondered about Ventus. How long has he stayed? Did he stay in Disney Castle, or was he somewhere else? Nothing could keep that kid in one place for a while.

Merlin and Lea ran into Leon and Terra about ten minutes after the Curse broke, and they had all joined forces to look for everyone else. They continued to follow Merlin and Lea, when the four of them heard a familiar hyperactive voice.

"SQUALL!"

That was probably the first time, since the fall of Radiant Garden, that he didn't correct her, and tell her to call him Leon. Her friend ran up to her, and gave her one of his very rare hugs, which she gladly returned. The two shared a sibling-like bond, and even though Yuffie annoyed Leon to no end, and he sometimes wanted to strangle her, they'd always see the other as family. Aerith came up to them, that usual calm behavior gone, and she giddily hugged her two friends, and the group hug was joined by non-other than grouchy old Cid. Even Merlin couldn't resist joining into the "sentimental nonsense", as he called it.

Neither Lea nor Terra joined the hug, both of them just awkwardly standing to one side. They didn't know them well enough to be hugging them, and he needed to find Aqua.

"Terra?" came the sweet voice that Terra so loved to hear from behind him.

_I guess she found me again._

He turned around, and saw her. She was just a beautiful as she was before she was sucked up by the Curse, those vibrant blue eyes the same color as her hair now that it was no longer held by any illusions to make it black. Tears ran down her pale face as she embraced Terra, who in turn, wrapped his strong arms around her.

"God, I missed you," Terra said, neither caring nor ashamed of his own tears.

"I missed you too," Aqua said in his shoulder. They pulled away for a second, looking into each other's eyes, and leaning in for what seemed to them their first kiss all over again.

"Hey, lovebirds!" came Cid's rude interruption as Terra and Aqua's lips were a hair's length apart. "You'll have time for that later, and hopefully nowhere in public!"

"Cid!" both the Keyblade Masters shouted in unison.

"It's harsh, but it's the truth," Lea laughed. "Not to worry, you guys can…_make up for lost time_, soon enough," he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively, which didn't help the growing blush on their faces.

"We already have you two," Yuffie smirked. "Then there's Sora and Kairi, and Cloud and Tifa, and I'm pretty sure Snow and Charming are gonna join in, so we won't having any shortage of lovey doviness!" Yuffie was secretly glad that her Curse self, May Innes, was alike, or at least _somewhat_ alike, to her real self. Leon rolled his eyes, and Yuffie was so thankful to have him back. "Plus, we need to find the others!"

"You're right," Leon spoke up, and everyone else agreed. He then turned to Yuffie. "And Yuffie, another thing."

"…"

"My name's _Leon_!"

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

"Look, there's Riku!" Ven exclaimed.

"TY-I mean, RIKU!" Sora shouted, remembering his friend Riku, not his enemy Tyler.

"Sora!" Riku shouted. He was heading to his house when the Curse broke, coming from Conner's (who's actually Wakka) party. It turns out he passed out in the bathroom from too much of who-knows-what, and Conner/Wakka came to chase him out of the house. He hadn't even gotten halfway to his house when all his memories came crashing back.

Riku rushed over to Sora, both friends in a brotherly hug. "My god…Sora, I'm so sorry," Riku apologized profusely for his Curse self's actions. It seems that he had push away his friends all over again.

Sora pulled away and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Riku, it's fine. That wasn't you." Riku nodded, and before they could hug again, they heard Ven clear his throat.

"Who are-" Riku was about to ask, but as he got a closer look, his eyes widened. "_Ventus_?"

"Yeah…" Ven trailed off. "I'll explain later."

"Right," Sora said. "We've gotta find Kairi!"

* * *

Tifa ran out of the hospital as soon as she collected herself, searching manically for Cloud and everyone else. She only stayed long enough to see the boy, who apparently died from unknown causes, wake up from the kiss on the forehead from his mother, who Tifa concluded was Emma, the Savior, the daughter of Snow White and Prince James. After she found everyone, she'd be sure to personally thank Emma. But now, she had to find Cloud.

_Again_, Tifa though wearily.

She remembered seeing him once while he was at Granny's and another time during the sheriff's election. They didn't talk, but he wasn't someone you could forget easily, a tall man with gravity defying blond hair and dressed like he was in a biker gang. She also heard rumors about the clerk at Storybrooke Liquor matching Cloud's description. She guessed that he had scared away more than a few customers.

It seems that searching for Cloud was a skill of Tifa's, and one that she was rather good at. Cloud had finally managed to bury Sephiroth, deep inside the Realm of Darkness, so that put an end to her old hobby. Not that she was complaining. The time they had spent together after Xehanort's defeat was the best they ever had, as short as it was. It made all those years of searching for him worth it.

Tifa asked the first person she saw directions to the Storybrooke Liquor store. He seemed a bit flustered, understandable, seeing how everyone is still remembering who they were, but he gave Tifa directions. She gave a quick thanks before racing towards the store, not willing to let Cloud go again when he was in her grasp.

She rushed to the door, only to find that it was locked. Tifa shouted in frustration as she kicked the door and slumped against it, cursing Cloud

"Damn you Cloud," Tifa said to herself. "Why are you so hard to find?"

"Maybe 'cause you try _way_ too hard."

Tifa gasped slightly as she heard Cloud's voice with that teasing and endearing tone he saved only for her.

Tifa immediately got up, all of her frustration melting away completely, and punched Cloud's shoulder.

"This time I found you," Cloud said as he took Tifa in his arms.

"_This_ time," Tifa smirked as they both moved in for a sweet kiss.

* * *

Sora, Riku, and Ven raced through the streets, eager to look for their friends. Some people looked strangely at Ventus, not knowing who the mysterious stranger was. Ventus didn't mind. He was dead set on finding his friends. He was in the town in the first place because he was searching for August. The last he heard of the puppet was the phone call discussing how they were going to trick Rumplestiltskin. He knew it was a risk, but helping a friend was worth it. He'd be sure to look for August soon though, even if all he found was a lifeless wooden statue, which Ven shuddered at the thought of.

"Say, Riku," Sora asked. "How exactly do you have Kairi's address?"

Riku's face turned bright red. "I…uh, sort of…asked where she lived…last night…" he said sheepishly.

"Oh," Sora said awkwardly. He didn't want to ask what had happened, not sure if he would even _want_ to know.

Riku desperately wanted to change the subject, so he started speaking. "We should be getting-"

They were interrupted when someone crashed violently into Sora, holding onto him like her was the last life preserver of a sinking ship. It took him a while to realize that for once, Kairi had found him, instead of it being vice-versa, as usual, and he began hugging her too, both of the crying with tears that have been held back for 28 years.

Neither of them said anything, they didn't need to. All that mattered to them was the here and now.

"See what I have to deal with?" Riku asked Ventus, both of them just watching the scene before them.

Ven sighed. "Just wait until you see Terra and Aqua in full action. These two'll have some competition!"

Riku laughed, but as he casually looked around, he saw something that pulled him out of his good mood.

"Uh, guys," Riku interrupted, but this time his voice was filled with worry, rather than humor. "What's that?"

Sora and Kairi got up, still holding each other, and the four friends looked to see an enormous purple cloud heading towards them, fast as horses.

"What's that?" Kairi asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"_Magic_," Ventus said, equally dumbstruck as the other three Keyblade Wielders. "Magic is coming."

* * *

"What the…" Donald's head shot from all directions, looking at his surroundings. Everything was as it was a few minutes ago, but he could tell that _something_ happened. He could feel the charges of dark magic in the air, and for the court mage, who never _touched_ the stuff, couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"Uh, Donald," Goofy asked. "Is it just me, or did something weird just happen?"

"You felt it too?" Mickey asked.

"Wait, wasn't today the day Regina would cast the Curse?" Donald asked.

"Oh yeah!" Goofy beamed. "_That_ must be it! Uh-hyuck!"

"Why are you so happy?" Donald snapped.

"Well at least we know what happened!" Goofy exclaimed. Donald rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Yeah, it must've been the Curse, fellas," Mickey concluded. "That must be why we're feeling dark magic all over the place! But why is it here?"

"I believe I can answer that," came a familiar voice.

"Master Yen Sid!" the three Disneyans exclaimed as the sorcerer stepped out of seemingly nowhere.

"The Curse had a more devastating effect that I thought it would," the Yen Sid explained. "I thought that it would leave Disney Castle and all other worlds in peace. But I was wrong. Instead, it has frozen time on _every_ world. What seemed like a few minutes for us, has in fact, been twenty eight years."

"Twenty eight years?" Goofy asked. He looked at Donald, and the chuckled. "Gawrsh Donald, you haven't aged a day!"

"Oh, be quiet you big palooka!"

"Fellas!" Mickey said, and the knight and the mage came at attention. "We've gotta get to that land! And fast!"

"It seems we are in luck, my friends," Yen Sid said. "Rumplestiltskin has brought magic to that world, and you can get there fastest by gummi ship."

"Thanks master," Mickey bowed, and Donald and Goofy followed suit.

"But be warned," Yen Sid continued. "There are many who would take advantage of the darkness the Curse has wrought. I do not know exactly who and what lie waiting in the shadows, but I feel it in my bones, that evil still lurks in some dark corners."

* * *

"Wuh-oh!" Pete looked around, and saw people looking at each other with shock, some embracing each other, and he knew fully well what was going on.

The Curse was broken.

"Time for me to skedaddle!" he said, and as silent as a shadow, Pete slipped away, deciding that he had to lay low for a while. If these folks remember who they are, them a ton of them are bound to remember who _he_ is.

But as the giant, purple cloud began to come his way, he began to grin evilly. He was back in business!

Magic was coming, and so was an opportunity. And Pete always snatched those away as soon as they came.

* * *

"Ah!" the ghostly man said as he stretched his neck and his back, causing clicks and pops. "Great to be back, know what I mean?" The man was tall, well over six feet, and his gaunt, leathery skin was an odd shade of bluish grey. He wore dark robes, and in the place of hair were blue flames dancing on his bald head. Despite his casual demeanor, the man emitted an aura of pure terror, and his presence created the smell of burning corpses. He grinned, revealing a row of sharp, pointed, rotting teeth.

"For once, it seems we can agree on the same subject, Death God," said a calm, suave voice with an English accent. The speaker was a man with coppery skin, his head and face entirely clean shaven, save for upper lip hair that was so long and thin, it could pass off as whiskers. His neck was adorned with amulets made from the bones, horns, and teeth of jungle animals, some not even native to this world. The only clothes he wore were a loincloth, and the skin of a tiger, the head used as a hood, and the rest of the body falling down the man's back like a cape. The man walked with the confident manner of a king, as if he expected everyone around him to fall to their knees in reverence.

"Right-o, stripes," said a dark skinned man in a purple and black suit. He held a cane in his left hand, a necklace of bones was around his neck, and on his head was a black top hat decorated with a skull and crossbones and a feather. "We've got us a whole _world_ for the conquerin'!"

"When do we get to this world? This…_Storybrooke_?" said another man's no-nonsense voice. He was a Disneyan, a wolf man, with a bushy grey beard and a long and slightly darker mustache. He was clothed in dark purple robes, the hood pulled over his head, but his face still left visible. He wore a necklace with a green gem that pulsed with an aetherial glow, and his dark eyes spoke of lust for power.

"All in due time," came a young voice, brimming with childish smugness. He was a boy, hardly past eighteen, yet his eyes were filled with sheer malevolence. "We've all been waiting for a fair number of days, I think we can wait for a while longer."

"Maybe you're content with wasting time with frivolities, flying about, plucking children from their beds, _little boy_, but _I_, am not! We need to get a bloody move on!" sneered a woman's voice. She was short, chubby, her grey hair was disheveled, and her red clothing tattered, creating the perfect visage of a psychotic madwoman.

"Quiet, _sorceress_," snapped a man in purple armor, matched by his long, purple hair decorated with feathers and beads, held back by a purple headband. Sheathed at his back was an enormous, barbarously shaped sword. Every movement he made seemed controlled, and his face was cold and calculating, matching the glare the madwoman sent his way. "Your lack of self-control shall be the death of you."

"Indeed," said a woman in a long, dark robe, with her red hair done into a bun. Her expression remained neutral, but her eyes spoke of untold evil and ambition. "If we are to be successful, we need to be patient."

"Spoken like the true queen of a realm of _madness_," came a sarcastic and mocking, yet ominous voice, who belonged to a man entirely cloaked in black. His dark cloak clung tightly to his form, the hood pulled up, concealing his entire face, save for his pure white eyes. Upon closer inspection, one would see that his garb was not made out of cloth, but entirely out of billowing shadows.

"ENOUGH!" came a raspy voice, sending chills through the air. All the villains looked to see the one who had found them from their respective realms. A man dressed in dark red robes, his hood concealed his face, but from it, protruded two hideous, boney horns. His hood began to lift on its own, ever so slightly, revealing a skeletal face with red, burning lights in the place of eyes.

"Everything has gone according to plan," the skeletal man's voice seemed to send vibrations of fear through the air, sending chills down the spine of everyone in the room. "The Curse has broken, and we have awoke from our slumber. If fortune continues to look in our favor, as it _has_, the ones in this land without magic should fall right into our trap."

Xerenock, the Horned King, has returned.

**Introducing…THE VILLAINS! (In the order of their arrival)**

**Hades- the god of the Underworld we all know and love. This will be bringing some characters from ****Hercules****, and a fair amount of Greek Mythology.**

**Shere Khan- I "Once Upon a Time-ized" him! I wanted to keep things realistic, and a talking tiger just wouldn't fly with the OUAT universe. So here, he's an ambitious sorcerer/warlord that intends to conquer his world. You'll get more of his backstory in later chapters, and yes, I plan on including other characters from ****The Jungle Book****, and I'll "Once Upon a Time-ize" them too! Mwahaha!**

**Dr. Facilier- a voodoo magician, and the villain from ****The Princess and the Frog****. After the events of the film, in my fic, the Horned King fished him out of the world he was sucked into.**

**Merlock- I don't expect you to know who this dude is. Basically, he's the main villain of ****DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp****, and he's a shapeshifting sorcerer with a magic talisman that gives him his powers. When he puts his talisman on a lamp with a genie bound to it, it gives him unlimited wishes. I originally wanted him to be the leader of the villains, but he didn't have the evil flair that the Horned King and Maleficent did. So I'm making him the "Jafar to the Horned King's Maleficent", if that makes any sense…LOL.**

**Peter Pan- though I think where OUAT went with Peter Pan is wicked awesome, it still kind of pains me to write Peter Pan as a villain. He's a beloved Disney character, and it feels almost unnatural to have a villainous Pan. Even so, I personally think he makes a pretty kickass bad guy. LOL.**

**Madam Mim- a dark sorceress that Merlin's rival and archenemies. And FYI, she's not exactly…all that well, upstairs, LOL.**

**Caius Ballad- the principle villain of ****Final Fantasy XIII-2****. For those of you who don't know, Caius was the guardian of the Seeress Yeul, who received visions from the goddess Etro, which caused her to die and get reborn. This drove Caius insane, and he vowed to destroy the goddess and end Yeul's suffering. I know it's a bit unorthodox to put a Final Fantasy villain with the Disney ones, but I've been wanting to include ****Final Fantasy XIII ****in this story for a while, and I decided to start with Ballad.**

**Cora- this should be kind of obvious for you OUAT fans. For those of you unfamiliar with OUAT, Cora is the Evil Queen's mother, and she's the Queen of Hearts, ruler of Wonderland.**

**The Phantom Blot- here's another shady Disney character, if Merlock wasn't enough! Anyone who's watched ****The House of Mouse**** cartoon a fair amount of times should remember him. He's one of Mickey's archenemies, depicted in many ways, as a master criminal, an evil sorcerer, and in the game, ****Epic Mickey****, he's a giant and powerful demonic titan made of lacquer thinner. Here, he's the first two, and on his way to accumulating enough dark power to become the third, but minus the lacquer thinner, of course. LOL.**

**The Horned King- I know, there are WAY too many fanfics that feature the Horned King in the place of Maleficent, but Disney didn't make enough villains worthy for such a role, so you can blame them. :P Don't worry, I'm going to add my own personal touch to all the villains! I already did that with the Horned King by giving him a name.**

**On another non-villain related topic, did you honestly think I'd kill of Sora? SORA? ONE OF THE CENTRAL CHARACTERS?! Really now, I'm ashamed you guys have so little faith in me! I mean, sure, sometimes I take a while with the updates, but still…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright guys, the chapters will be a bit longer, seeing how they're going to be incorporated with the events of the series.**

**Xehanorto- maybe someone will get sucked into the hat with Emma and Snow, or maybe someone will be waiting for them in the Enchanted Forest! Or maybe someone will tag along some other way! It could be one of these! Read and find out!**

**Guest- yeah, I LOVE ending on cliffhangers! Not good news for you guys! LOL. Yeah, I can't WAIT for the scene where the villains come into play! I'm proud of my selection of bad guys! And thanks, that really means a lot!**

**Dark Mage 13-2- yes they are! LOL. Why do villains have to be so awesome? You can't like them because they're villains, but you have to like them because of how awesome they are!**

**Nicole Peach- yeah, but seeing the third episode, I think there's a smidge of a chance he might.**

CHAPTER 16

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy waited in the Gummi Hanger, for Chip and Dale and another duck person, Donald's uncle, working on the Hanger's computer.

"So, if my calculations are being correct," the Disneyan scientist, Professor Ludwig Von Drake finally concluded. "Each and every one of our gummi ships that we all worked so hard on so that we could use them to travel all over the worlds, no longer work." Goofy and Donald looked like they were about to say something, but Ludwig spoke again.

"Wait a second, what am I saying?" the other Disneyans held their breath, eager to hear if the professor had good news, thinking that at least one Gummi Ship was working, and that they could use it to get to Storybrooke. But instead, their shoulders drooped and their heads fell at the professor's next comment. "_Of course_ my calculations are correct! This thing has _never_ steered me wrong!" he said, tapping his head twice. Donald rolled his eyes at his uncle, something the elder duck man was oblivious to. Ludwig was a brilliant scientist, but he had a few unnecessary quirks, even for Disneyans, which was an entire _race_ that was famous for their unnecessary quirks.

"Is there any way we can fix 'em, professor?" Mickey asked.

"Hmm," Ludwig went deep into thought as he made some mental calculations, "There might be a chance I can, your Majesty, but it might take a long while."

"How long are we talkin' about?"

"Uh…" Ludwig scratched the back of his head nervously. "About…maybe…in the slightest chances…_three months_…" he tried to say the time as quietly as he could, but unfortunately, Mickey heard him. Curse those large ears.

"Three months?!" Mickey asked loudly enough for both Donald and Goofy to hear.

"WAK!" Donald shouted. "Three months?!"

"Three months?!" Goofy asked worriedly. "But we've gotta go help Sora and Riku and Kairi!"

"MAYBE," Ludwig held up his hands in defense. "_Maybe_ shorter, assuming that I can get all the necessary parts and Donald here," he motioned to his nephew. "Can restore all the enchantments to the ship," Magic was never Ludwig's preference. He was a man of science and reason, he had no time to meddle in silly sorceries while there were greater pursuits to be made. But he had somewhat of a basic understanding in magic, it's relation to the laws of physics, what makes a spell work, and he understood the magical mechanics of a Gummi Ship.

"So it might take less than three months?" Goofy asked happily. "Uh-hyuck! That's swell news!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ludwig said. "Hold your horses there, Goofy, I never said any _definite_ time to when they will all be fixed!"

"Wait," Donald said. "I thought you said three months at first?"

"I said _maybe_, three months!"

"But it might not be three months?" Donald asked confused.

"Yes, yes, that's my professional opinion!"

"Gawrsh, I'm confused, Professor," Goofy scratched his head.

"I'm explaining it to you all in black and white!" Ludwig cried. "It _may_ take three months, maybe a _little_ more, a little less, or a _lot_ more or a lot less-"

"So basically," Mickey concluded. "What you're sayin' is that you have no idea?"

"Nope," Ludwig finally admitted. "Not a clue."

* * *

The smoke began to clear up, showing that Sora, Kairi, Riku, and even Ven were holding onto each other, not sure of what it would bring. They saw that, contrary to their expectations, they were still here, and not back at their home in the Destiny Islands.

"What was that?" Sora asked what was on all their minds.

"Like I said," Ventus replied. "That was magic."

"But how did it get here?"

"Where do you think the others are?" Kairi asked. "I know who May-I mean Yuffie is, and I've seen Merlin, but what about the others? How many of our friends were taken by the Curse?"

"I'm not sure, Kai," Sora said. "I haven't really seen many people here, I kinda…kept to myself most of the time," Sora added sheepishly.

"I know Merlin and Zack," Riku came in. "I've seen Cloud too, and I think maybe Cid," Riku chuckled over the amount of times he tried to get liquor with a fake ID. He even tried once to put on a fake mustache to look older, something Zack, or Rick as he was known then, never let him live down.

"Really?" Sora asked, and Riku nodded. For 28 years, he had been looking at some of his best friends like they were nothing more than strangers. And how the _hell_ did he not notice all that time go by? What the hell kind of a Curse was this? Sure, time was supposed to be frozen, but one would think that they'd notice if several years went by and they wouldn't age.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Sora asked, wanting to break the seriousness of the situation. "How we're 28 years older? If you asked me Kairi," his voice began to get teasing. "You look pretty good for an old lady."

Kairi laughed, "Oh, shut up," she said halfheartedly.

"No, I mean it!" Sora grinned. "I bet you could even have some of the younger men out there ask you out!"

Kari smirked mischievously. "They would, but they'd have to get past my boyfriend first, and he's a real pain in the-"

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed, but still smiled

"Just kidding," Kairi said as she pulled him in for a kiss.

"Oh will you two get a room?" Riku moaned, causing Ven to laugh.

_Nothing's changed_, Sora thought happily as he put his arms around his best friend and girlfriend. _The world around us might, but some things never change_.

The four came out from the street to see Snow in a group hug with the Seven Dwarves, and James, Red, and Granny watching and smiling fondly.

"Hey guys!" Sora called out to Snow, James, Red, Granny, and the Dwarves. They all turned to see their old Keyblade wielding friends.

"Sora! Kairi! Riku!" Snow smiled as she pulled the three of them in for a hug. "It's so great to see you all again!"

"You too Snow," Sora said as he, Kairi, and Riku returned the hug, both equally glad to see their friends.

"Hey James," Riku grinned as he, Sora, and Kairi came up to their old friend and comrade-in-arms.

"Guys," James smiled as he shook all their hands. "Great to have you all back."

"Great to _be_ back," Sora said.

"It's been a while, shorty," Grumpy, or now Leroy, chuckled as he went up to Sora and punched him on the shoulder.

"_Shorty_?" Sora asked indignantly. "_You're_ the dwarf!"

"Yeah, and don't you forget it!" Grumpy told him as seriously as he could, but even the sour-mooded dwarf wasn't able to hold back his smile.

"Who's he?" Dopey asked, pointing to Ventus.

"I, uh…" Ven stammered. "I'm new here. I'm kind of surprised you guys don't remember me," he said to the Dwarves. "I mean I grew up a bit, but-"

"Wait," Snow stared at the man who was with, before realizing who he was. "_Ven_?"

Ventus chuckled slightly. "I guess I have some explaining to do," he said as Snow and all the Dwarves came up to him to hug their old friend.

"Yes you do." James said as he clapped his now older friend on the shoulder. "But it can save for later."

"You're right, we need to find everyone," Kairi said.

"Yeah," Snow said, realization dawning on her face. "I need to find my daughter."

"So it's true."

Everyone turned to see a blond woman in a red leather jacket, staring at Snow and Charming with a combination of surprise and sadness on her face. She didn't seem to be weirded out at all at the sight of the odd group, only focusing on two people in particular.

"So that's…" Sora began, and Kairi nodded.

"Yep," she whispered, not wanting to ruin this family moment. Kairi couldn't see Snow's expression, but the embrace told everyone watching the scene what they needed to know. They all smiled, knowing that their friends' family had become whole again.

"_You found us_," Snow sobbed as she finally hugged her daughter, and James followed his wife's actions.

"Grandma? Grandpa?" came a voice that made Sora grin wider, and sent Snow into sobbing laughs. Nobody even noticed Henry standing next to Emma, all of them too busy watching the heartfelt family moment.

"Yeah kid," James chuckled as he gave Henry a hug. "I suppose so."

"She did it," Henry said. "She saved you."

"She saved all of us," Snow said, recovering herself.

"Uh," came Grumpy's voice. "Then why are we still here?"

"What was that smoke?" Sneezy asked, right after sneezing.

"I think I know where it came from," Venus said, grabbing everyone's attention. He could tell Emma recognized him, which was impressive, seeing how they only met once. She must have a memory that would make Lea proud of her. "Rumplestiltskin. He brought magic here. I can feel it in the air."

"Gold brought magic here?" Emma asked, and Ven nodded.

"Magic? Here?" Henry came to Ventus. "Who are you? I didn't see you in my book."

Ven chuckled. August had lent Henry's storybook to Ventus when he stole it, and it gave him some insights into a lot of things. He didn't know where it came from or who wrote it, just that it was very accurate in his adventures. "I kind of…grew up. Name's Ventus. That ring a bell?"

"_You're_ Ventus?" Henry gasped, and the older man nodded. "Can you do magic? Can you do something with your Keyblade?" He asked excitedly.

"I don't exactly have my Keyblade on me at the moment, sorry to disappoint you," Ven smirked. He felt sorry for Emma, since she must have no idea what they were talking about, and she must have been confused enough as is.

"You're right Ven," Mother Superior, or the Blue Fairy, said as she arrived at the scene. "Magic has come to Storybrooke."

"You're the Blue Fairy," Henry beamed, and the woman nodded, smiling at the child.

"Well _I_ say," Grumpy announced. "That we go find Gold, and get some answers!" all the other dwarves agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora spoke up, and while everyone else agreed with him, Emma just frowned. Who was this kid? The way he spoke, all confident and cheerful, it was like everyone here was his best friend. How did a kid like him know her parents? She thought about all the fairytales that had kids in them. Little Boy Blue? The Pied Piper? Peter Pan? After fighting a dragon and making a deal with Rumplestiltskin, she'd rather not confuse herself further by asking. Emma didn't know the kid, the only two kids she ever dealt with besides Henry were the Zimmer twins, or Hansel and Gretel, as Henry pointed out.

Everyone began walking to Gold's shop, with Emma leading the way, and her arm draped protectively around Henry. Snow and James were at her left, Sora, Kairi, Ven, Riku, Red, and Granny at her right, and all the Dwarves following them, allowing Snow and James to lead them as they always have. Nobody talked, not wanting to interrupt the talk between Emma and her parents. All of them felt sympathy for not only Emma, but for Snow, James, and Henry. None of them could imagine finding your parents in one day after 28 years, nor could they imagine being reunited with your long-lost daughter after said amount of years. And Henry was already the Mayor's kid, so he didn't really need any more drama in his life.

Emma finally stopped everyone, beginning to pour her heart out about dreaming of finally seeing her parents again, when they all heard shouting and saw crowds of people race through the streets, and the saw Archie running desperately to the group.

"There you are," Archie said, out of breath. Sora, Riku, and Kairi didn't know who Archie was, seeing how the last time they had seen each other, the latter was in the form of a cricket.

"Come with me, I need your help. Dr. Whale's whipped everyone into a frenzy! They're going to Regina's house, they're gonna _kill_ her!"

"Great," Grumpy said apathetically, ignoring gasps and horrified looks from Snow, Sora, and Kairi. "Let's go and watch." Kairi was shocked at Grumpy. Sure, she wanted to see the Queen pay for what she did, she wanted to scream and beat her for all the years she had taken from Kairi and her loved ones. But despite her hate, she didn't want Regina dead.

"No, no," Archie insisted. "We cannot sink to her level!"

"Why not?" Riku asked bitterly. "It wouldn't be 'sinking to a level', rather than being justice."

"_Killing_ isn't justice, Riku!" Archie pressed on. "No matter who she is and what she's done, killing her is _wrong_."

"He's right!" came Henry's pleading voice. "Please, she's still my mom!"

Riku glanced at Sora and Kairi, who told him all he needed to know, that he wasn't going to answer this problem through bloodshed. Riku groaned as he finally gave in, knowing that in a case like this, there was no point in arguing with his two friends.

"Alright, then, fine, let's go stop them," Riku grumbled reluctantly.

James was the one who spoke next. "If Ven and the Blue Fairy are right and magic is here, Regina could have her powers back." He glanced at the growing crowds with worry. "They'll be marching into a slaughter."

That was all they needed. They all started running madly towards Regina's house, desperate to avert both the deaths of the townspeople, and believe it or not, Regina. As they neared her mansion and pushed past the crowds of people, they could hear gasps, and people shouting.

"She's powerless!"

"She has no magic!"

"_Get her_!"

"Don't let her get away!"

"_Let her go_!" came a voice that stood out greatly from the bloodlust of the crowd. Emma, Snow, James, and Sora came up to the front porch to see Dr. Whale with his hands tightening around Regina's neck. Sora managed to get to the bloodthirsty Doctor first.

"Let her go!" Sora repeated what Emma said as he pushed Whale off of her, surprising both the Doctor and Regina.

Whale scoffed at the young boy and shoved him to the ground. Sora didn't expect that, which was why he fell so easily. "Why should I listen to you, _boy_?" he sneered disdainfully. Kairi, Riku, and Ven rushed over to their friend, in half a mind to do to Whale what he would have done to Regina, before a familiar face beat them to it.

"I'll give you a reason," came a gruff voice. Before anyone could so much as begin to gasp, someone flipped Dr. Whale over with almost unnatural speed and strength onto the ground with the wind knocked out of him. When he looked up, Whale saw a leather clad man with spikey blond hair.

Whale wheezed and groaned, about to get up, despite the threatening glare Cloud sent his way, but a familiar voice spoke. "I'd stay down if I were you. You don't want to mess with him while he's angry, and that goes the same for me," came a female's voice that the doctor had heard every day.

"_Julie_?" Whale asked incredulously, surprised to see his coworker here, who ran like hell out of the hospital after the Curse was broken, and he didn't give her a second thought since this morning. She stood right next to the doctor's attacker, looking like she was ready to fight an army with her bare hands.

"I prefer Tifa," the woman smirked. "Like it or not, that _boy_ and his friends saved all the worlds, including _yours_, and that woman," she glanced at Emma. "Freed us from the Curse, and saved all of _us_. _They_ saved _us_. Is that good enough for you?"

"She's right," Snow spoke up, holding Henry reassuringly. "And no matter what Regina did, it does not justify _this_!" Cloud and Tifa turned to look at Snow as she spoke, and Whale didn't miss the opportunity to get back up.

"And if we let her live," Whale spoke as he walked determinedly back to the porch, but was blocked by Emma, who was backed up by her parents. "What's to stop her from causing further suffering?"

"We are _not_ murderers here," Emma glared daggers to Whale, who simply smirked mockingly.

"Well we're not _from_ this world," he countered.

"Well you're in it now," Sora snarled at Whale as Kairi and Riku helped their friend up. "So get used to it." Instinctively, Sora held out his hand the same way he would when about to summon his Keyblade, but instead, nothing happened.

"What?" Sora tried to summon his Keyblade again, but nothing happened. "What's going on?"

"What's the matter?" Whale asked sarcastically as he advanced towards the boy. "Your little trick with the key isn't work-"

"Okay Whale!" James stepped and blocked Whale before he could get any closer to Sora, not wanting anymore violence. "We're done here-"

"_Back off_," Whale growled as the two men glared at each other eye to eye. "_You're_ not my prince."

"Who are you, Whale?" James asked.

The doctor's glare didn't falter against the prince's. "That's _my_ business."

James smirked. "Why my _business_, is making sure this town doesn't go to hell, so whether or not I'm your prince, isn't the issue. We have a lot to figure out."

"And Regina's death," Snow spoke again, grabbing the crowd's attention. "Won't provide any answers. She needs to be locked up. For _her_ safety, and more importantly, for _ours_."

"I think I can live with that," Riku smirked.

* * *

They sent Regina to the sheriff's office to have her locked up, and Cloud and Tifa joined the group. Few of them spared any sympathy for her, and Riku had to resist the urge to gloat. They knew she was lying, that their old worlds had been destroyed. But none of them had said it, all of them too afraid to talk about the subject.

Sora, Kairi, Riku, Ven, Cloud, and Tifa parted ways with Emma, Snow, and James, since they needed to find their friends.

"We'll tell you what we find out," Snow promised.

"Thanks Mary Margaret," Tifa said gratefully after hugging her friend again. "And good luck."

"So how many of your friends were taken by the Curse?" James asked.

"I don't know exactly, but I remember seeing a few of them before," Sora replied. "We'll find them."

"Hey, kid," Emma asked Sora before he and the others could leave. "I never got your name."

Emma was curious to see who he was. That boy had stood up to an older man confidently, and the way he did that "summoning" or whatever, he looked like he was ready to jump into a battle, and he didn't look like he was even out of his teens at that. She hadn't heard any fairytale about a warrior child before. And Emma was also confused on the concept of a "Keyblade", wondering if it was some kind of magic sword or something.

"My name's Sora," he answered. "This is Kairi," he looked at the girl, who he was holding hands with, who must have been Kairi. "And Riku," the guy with the platinum blond, or _silver_, Emma's eyes seemed to be playing tricks on her. She never seen someone with silver hair.

"It's nice to meet you Emma," Sora said, holding out his hand. "My friends and I and your parents have been through a lot together."

"Uh," Emma shook the kid's hand, not exactly sure how to respond. "Thanks, I guess…"

"Don't worry," Sora said reassuringly. "I know things are a little confusing, but trust me, you'll get used to it."

"He's right," Riku said. "This guy used to be some moron who spent all his days running around like an idiot." Riku grinned. "Now, he's that, and someone who saved all the worlds!"

"Hey!" Sora said as Kairi giggled. Emma laughed a bit unenthusiastically, all of a sudden feeling small. All she did was kiss her son on the forehead to break a single Curse, while this kid, just over half her age, saved a _bunch_ of worlds.

But she sure as hell wasn't taking it any easier.

* * *

"I know Sora's here," Merlin insisted. "I remember them getting sent to my office many times."

"Are you sure that was Sora you saw?" Cid asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Merlin snapped. They had already found Zack, and on their way to finding Sora, Kairi, Riku, Tifa, and Cloud. Aqua and Terra had told them all about Ventus, and all of them were left to wonder what became of their younger friend. "Good heavens, how many children do you know that have hair _that_ spikey?"

"Well, there's Ven, Zack of course, Cloud-" Lea began, but was cut off by the old wizard.

"That was rhetorical!"

"I know old man, I'm just messing with you!" Lea laughed.

"Yeah, well," Yuffie said. "He's right," Yuffie coughed as she said "for once!" Merlin glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice. "I saw Sora, Kairi and Riku too. I also think I saw Wakka, but I'm not sure."

"Well, we've been searching for 'em for hours!" Cid grumbled "It's gettin' dark! And those darn kids aren't just going to _appear_ if by your fancy little bit of _magic_!" He said the last word disdainfully, and right before Merlin could think of a devastating retort, they all heard a familiar voice.

"Uh, you were saying?" Sora grinned playfully, Riku and Kairi at his sides. Cloud and Tifa were standing together (obviously), no less happy than their younger friends.

"Ah, shut your asses and get over here!" Sora, Riku, and Kairi almost gasped as Cid pulled the three Keyblade wielders in for a crushing bear hug. When he was done torturing the kids, they moved on to the others, and everything blended into a mixtures of hugs and hellos.

Ven stood awkwardly to one side, trying his hardest to hide himself from Aqua and Terra. He had dreamed of this moment for years, and yet, it was probably the one thing in the world that terrified him. Nobody noticed him, everyone too busy trying to not fall over with their hugs. But after Aqua hugged Sora, Kairi, and Riku, she happened to glance at the strange man that was clearly trying to remain inconspicuous for some reason.

"Um," Aqua said as she came up to the man, and Terra, curious about this man as well, followed her. "Have we met…?"

Aqua's words just seemed to make the man sadder, as immeasurable anguish and sorrow became apparent in his face, and after seeing those sky blue eyes, she _knew_ who this was.

"Oh my god," Aqua's jaw dropped as she looked at the older man in front of her. The last time she saw Ven, he was a head shorter than her, his hair spikey, and gave off an air of boyish wonder clear in his blue eyes, always looking like he was fighting off a grin.

Now, he was taller than both her _and_ Terra, that scrawny boyishness turned into lean muscle, dark blond stubble growing on his face, his blond hair, though still spikey, was messier and hung over his eyes slightly, and everything about him now was just so…_adult_, that at first glance she wouldn't think this man was her old friend. That childishness that practically _oozed_ off of him was gone completely, now he just seemed incredibly sad, so uncharacteristic of the Ven she knew.

"Hey guys," Ven smiled, his smile, though much less cheerful, was the exact replica of the smile he had when he was fifteen.

Terra didn't waste any time, and he just bombarded the now older man with a hug, which he returned, though hesitantly. Aqua followed her lover, and the three friends that were separated for so long were now whole again.

"My boy," Merlin interrupted. "What…what _happened_ to you?"

"Well do ya really need to see the future or something to know _what_?" Cid demanded. "He got older! Clear as day!"

"I can speak for myself," Ven said. "And yeah, I got older. I'll explain it all later."

"Yeah, well," Lea smiled. "We're all back now, together and un-cursed. And that's how it's gonna stay. Got it memorized?"

"Oh, I think we do," Yuffie said happily. But the happy note was disrupted by all the street lights exploding like they had firecrackers in them, and wind began to blow fiercely and mercilessly in all directions, blowing debris along with it.

"What the hell's going on?!" Sora shouted as he and Kairi held onto each other.

"What is it, a hurricane?" Zack yelled.

"No, I can feel it, the darkness in the air," Terra yelled back, his arm tightening around Aqua.

"I've only ever seen something like this once before," Merlin said, surprisingly calm. Aqua looked at the wizard, both of them knowing what the problem was.

"A wraith," they both said at once.

* * *

They followed the traces of darkness the wraith left behind to the Sheriff's Office, where they were all just in time to see Snow chase the wraith out the window with a spray can and a lighter.

"Did we miss the show?" Riku asked sarcastically as the wraith flew out of the window.

All nonsense was halted as Regina gasped and choked on the floor, causing Aerith and Emma to run over to her and help her up.

"Are you okay?" Aerith asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Do I damn _look_ okay?!" Regina snapped ungratefully.

"What the hell was that thing?" Emma asked.

"That, my dear, was a wraith," Merlin said in a-matter-of-fact tone. "A soul-sucking spirit of the dead."

_What a time for a Hogwarts lecture_, Cid thought cynically.

"Did you guys-" Sora began to ask but was cut off by Regina.

"Kill it?" Regina asked sarcastically, and she seemed less than happy to see everyone, despite the fact that they saved her life. "No, it's regenerating. It'll be back. It won't stop until it devours its prey."

"You." Kairi said, shocked. Regina held her hand up, to show the mark the talisman left on her.

"Good heavens!" Merlin gasped at the mark in horror. "How on earth did you get _marked_?"

"It was Gold's doing," Regina answered. "He came here and he marked me with a wraith's phylactery."

"Well how do we kill it?" Sora asked, looking at both Merlin and Regina, expecting an answer.

"I'm afraid we can't." Merlin said gravely.

"He's right," Regina said. "You can't kill what's already dead."

"Then we have a problem," Emma said on that ominous memo.

"No, we don't," James deadpanned as everyone looked at him confused. "_Regina_ does."

"What?" the Mayor asked in shock.

"David?" Snow asked, equally shocked at her husband's actions.

"He's right," Leon agreed coldly. "I say we let the wraith get what it came for, and then it goes away. Problem solved."

"For once I can agree with you Leon," Cloud muttered as Tifa smacked him on the back of the head.

"This isn't right!" Aqua insisted. "Getting your soul sucked out? I mean, even _she _doesn't deserve something like that!"

"Well, agree to disagree," Riku said emotionlessly.

"Riku, what the hell!" Sora shouted.

"What's _wrong_ with you guys?! We can't just let it kill her!" Kairi insisted.

"We can't risk our safety for someone who _Cursed_ us all either!" James growled.

"Well aren't you setting a fine example for your daughter," Regina said to James. "And _you_, your little _friends_," Regina sneered at the rest of them, causing Leon to fume.

"I don't think," Leon said threateningly as he closed the distance between him and Regina. The man was a trained warrior, and was intimidating on his own, even without his old gunblade. His voice was dangerously calm, which almost caused Regina to flinch. "That _you're_ in any position to be judging-" Emma cut Leon off as she moved between him and the Mayor.

"No," Emma insisted. "She'd not dying. I made a promise to Henry." Everyone softened slightly at the mention of the boy, their silence showing that they gave in.

"If it can't be killed," Snow said. "What do you suggest?"

"Send it somewhere it can't hurt anyone." Regina answered.

* * *

It seemed that for Cloud and Cid's Curse selves, hunting was a favorite pastime, and they had no shortage of hunting supplies, which included a fair amount of weaponry. Within minutes, everyone was supplied with weapons of their choice.

Yuffie, being the highly skilled ninja that she was, managed to swipe as many kitchen knives as she could, hiding them away on her person, until they would be of use. It went without saying, if you knew the amount of weapons concealed on her, that you did not mess with the Great Ninja Yuffie. Leon took a hunter's rifle, and adjusted a knife on the tip to act as a bayonet, causing him to wish that this world had gunblades. Cloud kept a machete about over a foot in length, and strapped it to his back as he did with his old buster sword. Tifa didn't take a weapon, insisting on fighting with her martial arts. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Zack, and Terra each took machete's like Cloud's, with makeshift leather scabbards strapped to their belts. Aqua and Aerith had found steel poles in Cid's basement (the man was a pack-rat), and used them as fighting staves. Cid took a simple rifle, saying that using a sword is simple foolishness. Lea took two hunting knifes, missing his flaming chakrams. Ven took dual knives as well, just until he got his Keyblade back.

Lea, Terra, Aqua, Aerith, and Cid stayed with Emma, Snow, Charming, and Regina to help them prepare to banish the wraith, while Ven looked for his Keyblade, and Merlin found the necessary materials to rebuild his magic wand.

Everyone else, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Leon, Cloud, Tifa, Zack, and Yuffie, would go to Mr. Gold to find out why they couldn't summon their Keyblades. As they entered the shop, and the number of people entering merely amused the pawnbroker.

"Well, I've certainly been wondering when this little talk would happen," Gold said, smirking.

"Cut the crap, Gold," Leon snapped. "You know why we're here."

"Hostility won't get you anywhere Leon, thought you'd know that by now," Gold said. "It's still 'Leon', isn't it? Or did you finally get over the mistakes and failures you made as 'Squall'?"

Leon's hand went for his knife, but Yuffie put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Hey, hey." She said sympathetically to her friend. Yuffie knew about Leon's past with Rumplestiltskin. He had sought out the Dark One to try to find ways of restoring Radiant Garden, but every deal came at a steep cost, and they never even worked. Rumplestiltskin had tricked Leon into becoming his pawn, and for nothing. "Don't," she said before glaring at Gold. "He's not worth it." To which Gold simply smirked.

"Listen to the _ninja_, dearie. You've all got a wraith to fight, and you don't want to wear yourselves out fighting _me_. I _do_ know why you're here. None of you are able to summon your weapons of choice." He pointed to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"Yeah," Sora said. "Why is that?"

"See, magic works differently in this world. None of you have ever visited this world before, and so you aren't used to the way it operates. That's why you can't summon your fancy little keys."

"That must be why Regina can't cast magic," Riku added.

"Precisely," replied Gold.

"Well can you help us?" Sora asked.

"I can. Before the Curse I've managed to have the foresight to store a few things away for safekeeping. Magical items, money, weapons, even Keyblades."

"You have Keyblades?"

"_One_ Keyblade, to be precise," Gold said. "The one belonging to your dear friend Aqua."

"What?" Kairi exclaimed. "Why do you have _Aqua's_ Keyblade?"

"Part of a deal," the imp said coolly.

"We _all_ need our Keyblades," Riku said.

"Well you could always learn how to summon one under the magical conditions of _this_ world, but that'll take a while," Gold retorted.

"Fine then, I guess one will be enough," Sora said. "Can you give it to us?"

"Oh, of course I _can_, but I believe the real question is, _will_ I?"

"You _owe_ us, Gold," Riku growled. "You owe Sora for helping you, and _twice_."

The pawnbroker scoffed disdainfully. "I don't believe I owe _you_ anything, _dearie_, other than a swift fireball to the face," Gold never forgave Riku for crossing him, as well as taking Belle from him. It took all of his restraint not to rip the boy's heart out and crush it into dust during the final battle against Organization XIII, and especially now. No, he could do far worse to the boy. _Much_ worse. Which is why he was going to let him live.

"As for _you_," he said to Sora. "I believe I've _more_ than repaid my debts to you after your little disagreement with Xehanort. So, you can either agree to my terms, or walk out this door, unsatisfied. The choice is yours."

"What's you're price?" Kairi asked, wanting to know if the price will be something that she'll regret.

"You'll owe me a favor," Gold said. "Sora, and only Sora, will be in debt to me."

"Sora, _don't_," Riku insisted. "He's gonna make you regret it." Making deals with the Dark One always ends in regret.

"Do we have a choice?" Sora asked. "We need that Keyblade."

"I'll pay you," Kairi said.

"Kai, what are you-" Sora asked, fear in his eyes, but Kairi paid him no heed.

"I'll owe you a favor. Leave Sora out of it."

Sora was about to protest when Gold spoke before he could. "As much as your selflessness is _touching_," Gold sneered. "It has to be Sora. The rest of _you_," he pointed to everyone in the shop. "And all of your other friends, have _nothing_ I want."

"What do I have that you want, Gold?" Sora asked. "What is it about me that's so special?"

"Let's just say," Gold said ominously. "_I'm investing in your future_."

_Investing in my future?_ Sora thought. _Yeah, that's not vague or shady at all._

But he didn't have much of a choice. He had to play by Rumplestiltskin's little game for now if he was going to get the Keyblade, and if he was going to stand a chance against the wraith.

"Fine then," Sora relented. "You have a deal."

* * *

Ventus hated digging. It was tedious, and that sorry excuse for a shovel he got at a farming shop in Boston hardly helped, and was just a few hits on buried rocks away from breaking. Burying Terra's Keyblade was one of his only options. He was worried that if he kept it in his trailer, someone would follow him and get to it. And he couldn't just carry it around, that would attract attention.

It was about one hour later when he dug to the bottom of the hole, and carried the very heavy box he kept the Keyblade in for safe measure.

"Finally," Ventus grumbled as he unlocked the chest. "Terra can have this damn thing back."

He had gone through this hundreds of times. He buried the Keyblade, he'd dig it up, and he'd bury it someplace else. This time, he had no intention of burying it again.

At least he would, if he didn't see that there was no Keyblade in there.

**DUN DUN DUNNNNN!**

**Why of why do I end at so many cliffhangers? I'm so evil!**

**So, for those of you wondering, that was why Rumplestiltskin got the Keyblade from Aqua, as a bargaining chip.**

**How do you think I wrote Professor Von Drake? He was one of my favorite Disney characters!**

**I'm sorry guys, but I won't be updating for a while. I've got midterms coming up, and two other stories.**

**And I know some of you are wondering about Roxas and Naminé, and trust me, they're a-comin'!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here we are! One thing, I know I keep switching Charming's name from James to David, and same thing with Mary Margaret and Snow, so watch out for that!**

**Nichole Peach- I'm glad you liked it!**

**Dark Mage 13-2- Yup, it does! And good luck with your crossover. It's really great!**

**Xehanorto- hmmm….it MIGHT be Greg and Tamara…or could it be one of the villains? Or could it be someone else entirely? Who knows! And for the sake of maintaining a level of dignity for the characters, KH won't be a video game in the world of the Curse. Plus, Emma Swan doesn't seem like the kind of person to play video games, least of all KH! LOL.**

**funnydude2- Thank you! That really means a lot!**

CHAPTER 17

Regina laid the large leather box on the table of her office, Lea, Aerith, Cid, and Emma, who was still trying to fathom the world of magic and fairy tales she was plunged into. They had only a few hours before night would fall, and the wraith would come back.

It seemed weird for most of them, how they were fighting like hell for someone who damned them all to living false lives, but they often found that their sense of reason was something often trumped by ethics and morality.

"Did Henry really ask you to protect me?" Regina asked Emma, a twinge of hope and disbelief in her eyes as she asked.

"Yes," Emma said, and Regina barely suppressed a smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Cid rumbled. "The kid's full of love, now can we get on with this?" Regina and Aerith glared at the pilot, and the Mayor opened the leather box and pulled out a purple top hat.

"Hold the phone," Lea exclaimed. "That's Jefferson's hat!"

"_You_ had it all along?" Emma asked, remembering how she was kidnapped by the psychotic man who forced her to make him a new hat.

Regina thought for a moment, and decided to do what she did best. Deceive. "Who's Jefferson?"

"Oh!" Lea shouted. "Don't give me that! I know how you screwed the guy over!" Emma, confused, saw how he began to look angry, contrary to his usually laid-back demeanor.

"What?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Her _majesty_," Lea spat venomously. "Trapped him in Wonderland!"

In other circumstances, Emma would laugh insanely when she'd hear someone say they were trapped in Wonderland, but now that she learned that her son's claims were all real, she learned to take these things a bit more seriously.

"He went there out of his own free will," Regina snapped, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah, because you tricked him!"

"If he got stuck there, that's his own-" Regina was cut off when Aerith stood between the two.

"Guys, fighting isn't going to help anyone right now," she said as Lea and Regina stared each other down. "Right now, we've got other things to worry about."

"She's right," said Snow as she, David, Terra, and Aqua, all holding as many brooms as their hands could carry.

"Torches," David answered what was clearly on everyone's mind. "For when it comes back."

"It might be simple," Aqua said. "But it's effective. Wraiths and all creatures of the dead fear fire."

"So," Snow said, looking at the hat. "How does it work?"

"Wait," Terra said. "That's Jefferson's hat!"

"He's _here_?" Aqua gasped.

"Does _everyone_ know this guy?" Emma asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, when you can travel through worlds, you find that you're well-known," Lea chuckled. That held true for Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and yes, for the Hatter as well. He doubted that there was a single person in this whole damn town that didn't know at least one of them.

"Jefferson," Mary Margaret said. "The man who _kidnapped_ us?"

"Wait, _what_?" David asked. "You and Emma were kidnapped?"

Lea rubbed his eyes wearily. He _knew_ that Jefferson would probably do something crazy.

"He _kidnapped_ you?" Aqua asked.

"Yeah, he wanted me to make a hat for him," Emma said, not paying attention to how silly that probably sounded. Aqua, however, from her expression, took that completely seriously.

"Yeesh, what did Wonderland do to the guy?" Terra said, still feeling guilty about leaving him there. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus wanted to help their old friend, despite their enmities, but they couldn't make a move on Wonderland without igniting war with the ruthless monarchs that lived there. He made a mental note that he would go visit the guy, but he wasn't exactly sure that was a good idea, seeing how he was willing to kidnap.

"Wait, how do you know him?" Mary Margaret asked Terra.

"He's an old…friend of ours," Terra said, not sure if that was the right word to describe the complicated relationship he, Ven, and Aqua had with the Hatter. "He's a portal jumper, and we met often during our travels."

"If you're done, I suggest we get back to the matter at hand," Regina snapped. "This Hat can open a portal to our land," Regina explained. "All we have to do is lure the wraith into it."

"I don't understand," Snow said. "You said our land was gone."

"Exactly," Regina said. "By sending it to a place that doesn't exist, we'll be banishing it to oblivion."

"Well alright!" Lea said happily. "I think we can roll with that! We'll get the whole parade set up, and meet back here tonight!" They had all set up the entire perimeter, where everyone would be stationed, and they would slow down the wraith for as long as possible while Regina and Merlin would get the Hat to work. This was a world where magic was unstable and unpredictable, so they would need all the time they could get.

"We have only a few hours to prepare," David said. "We're going to need some weapons," his hand went to his hip instinctively, and he immediately missed his old sword.

"I think I can help with that," Cid said good-naturedly, putting an arm around David and Mary Margaret, leading them out of the building. "Come with me, I've got a decent bit of hunting gear you might find useful," Aerith followed them, deciding she better go with them to make sure he doesn't go overboard.

Terra and Aqua looked at the others awkwardly. "We should go check on the others," Terra said. "They might have gotten a way to get our Keyblades back."

"Yeah, you go do that," Lea said. "And try not to get…_preoccupied_ with each other? We're fighting a wraith guys, not stealin' smooches, got it memorized?" The two Keyblade Wielders left hastily, trying to hide the blushes on their faces.

"Really? '_Got it memorized_'?" Emma asked sarcastically. "I've heard superheroes from cheap comic books with better catchphrases."

"Yeah, well," Lea said. "You won't find any of them using mine, though _you're_ welcome to use it whenever you want," he said, winking flirtatiously at the sheriff while she rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to check on Henry," Emma said as she left. Regina would gone, but she felt as if she didn't deserve to check on Henry, now that all of his suspicions of her had been confirmed.

Everyone had left, leaving Lea and Regina by themselves.

"So," Lea started, trying to stir up conversation. From her glare, he could tell that Regina wouldn't take the bait. "I'll go find the others. You'll be fine here, won't you?" Lea asked as he began to leave.

"Why?" Lea heard Regina ask before he was about to go through the door.

"Why what?" Lea asked back, smirking. He knew what she was asking, but he just felt like being coy.

"You know _what_. Why are you _helping_ me?" Regina asked impatiently. "You owe me nothing, I tried to work against you. I tried to kill you and your friends, several times in fact. Why are you doing this?" She could understand why Emma was doing this, for Henry, and Snow and Charming followed her. Sora and Kairi was helping simply out of the goodness of their hearts, and Riku, like that idiot prince, though he wanted to watch her suffer, followed his friend's decision. She knew that was the reason for the three Keybladers, but the others, the ones they called _friends_ (Regina sneered inwardly at the word), they hardly knew her, and what they _did_ know about her wasn't anything good. So she believed she had the right to know why on earth they were helping her.

"Well, like it or not," Lea said. "You're part of this town, and though you might've done some real shitty stuff, and I _mean_ shitty," Lea gritted his teeth for a moment. "There's always a chance you can turn good again. At least that's my friends think. Got it-"

"Say _memorized_," Regina growled. "And I'll-"

"What?" Lea said cockily. "You'll do what?"

"Uh…" Regina said, remembering that she doesn't have magic anymore. "Oh, _shut up_ Flynn."

* * *

Merlin hummed a cheerful tune as he cut the twigs and leaves from the tree branch with the pocket knife Cid had loaned him. The wizard was never fond of blades or weapons other than his trusty wand, the forging of Excalibur was an exception of course, so he'd be more than happy to give the knife back.

Magic was unpredictable in this world, Merlin knew that, but he was in plenty of realms in which that was the case. In his younger days, when he was an adventurous, aspiring young mage, he'd travel all through the worlds, finally settling in Camelot, where, according to his gift of prophecy, a chain of events would unfold that would affect entire worlds.

That was where he met Arthur.

Merlin's humming ceased immediately at the memory of his dear friend and former apprentice. The boy was like a son to him, and he should have told him that when he had the chance. He never anticipated to befriend the future king of Camelot, he was never one for sentiments, but the boy grew on him. Merlin watched him grow from a scrawny, unconfident child, into a wise, strong, brave king.

The day he died was one that broke Merlin's spirit beyond repair. In the battle against the dark sorcerer Mordred, Arthur had sacrificed himself to destroy his enemy once and for all, and to save the people of Camelot. Merlin found that he could no longer stay in that world, so he moved to Traverse Town where he met Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith. He helped them restore their old home, and with Sora, he found a new purpose, to help save the worlds from the legions of darkness.

The wizard was finished peeling the last bit of bark off the wand-in-progress, when he heard shouting coming from above him.

"Merlin!"

"Hm-wha-" the wizard jumped when someone had begun to shout his name.

"Above you! Oh, confound it all, look UP!" Merlin did that, and when he did, he absolutely beamed with joy.

"_Archimedes_!"

The owl flew down in front of Merlin, who couldn't resist hugging his old friend. Archimedes was never fond of sentimentality, a trait he passed on towards young Merlin when he became his familiar.

"What! Let go of me! What am I, a child's teddy?! Let go!" Merlin chuckled as he complied with the owl's wishes.

"Forgive me, old friend, I'm glad to see you."

"Hm, yes," the owl looked at Merlin, seeing how the Curse changed him. His beard was cut shorter, now coming to his chest rather to his knees (Archimedes always wondered why Merlin never cut it himself, he was always complaining how it got in the way), and instead of the robe and hat (why did most wizards wear pointy hats anyway? Archimedes never understood human fashion, no matter what world he was in), he wore a suit and tie. "I see the Curse has taken care of your beard, and modified your sense in clothing," the owl muttered.

Merlin laughed. "Yes, but enough about me, what has the Curse done to you?"

Archimedes fumed. "Ohhhh, don't get me started on what this infernal enchantment has done to me! I wasn't able to speak! Not a single word for _twenty-eight_ years! When crows came to steal my dinner, I couldn't utter a word to tell those pests off! When I see that damnable queen again, remind me to peck her mercilessly on the head!"

"Come, come," Merlin said. "My wand is almost finished, and I think the others would like to see you again!"

Archimedes shuddered. "I do hope that horrid ninja refrains from calling me 'Archie'! The nerve…"

* * *

"Guys!"

"Ven!" Sora saw his older friend run up to them, all out of breath, which was saying something because Ventus was a fast fighter. _He must be pretty shaken up_, Sora thought.

"It's not there!" Ven said hastily.

"What?" Riku asked, and Ven looked even more annoyed.

"The Keyblade! It's not there!"

"What do you mean it's not there?" Leon asked.

"I think when he says it's not there," Yuffie said cheekily. "He means, 'it's not there'." Leon pinched his nose bridge in frustration. _Why did she have to remember?_

"Thank you!" Ven said sarcastically. "Yes, my Keyblade is not there. I dug up the hole where I kept it buried, and it is not there. Gone. Missing. Not present in its usual location."

"Who could've taken it?" Kairi asked.

"Regina," Cloud said automatically. "She must have."

Ventus shook his head. "I made sure no one watched me bury it!"

"Gold?" Sora asked.

"No, August kept an eye on him and he didn't go near the Keyblade."

"August?"

"Yeah," Ven scratched the back of his neck. "Long story, you know that stranger?" Sora nodded. "Well…he's Pinocchio."

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"That scruffy motorcycle dude?" Riku asked. "He's _Pinocchio_?" The last time he and Sora saw the puppet-turned-boy, he was a scrawny little redhead kid. August Booth looked like some mysterious guy you'd see in a stupid romance movie (Riku's self as Tyler Canton had a top-secret obsession with those, which was one he'd take to the grave). God, this Curse had done so much. He wasn't sure if he could get used to his old friend Ven being about twenty years older, let alone Pinocchio.

"Well, where is he?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure, I checked his room at Granny's, it's empty," Ven said. "Last I checked…" Ven suddenly looked troubled. "He was turning back into wood." No one said anything out of the worry. Ventus decided to break the silence. "What did you find out from Gold?"

"We can't summon our Keyblades because magic's different here," Kairi said. "He said that there's a Keyblade here, and we can get it."

"Alright, great!" Ven said. "Where is it?"

"Uh…" Sora hesitated.

"With Maleficent," Cloud was the one who dropped the bomb, and everyone, especially Tifa, glared daggers at him.

"Dude!" Zack exclaimed.

"What?" Cloud said defensively. "_He_ asked!"

"Oh my god…" Ven ran his fingers through his hair. "_She's_ here?"

They thought that they had taken care of Maleficent once and for all. They didn't kill her, instead, when they beat her in the final battle, all the dark power that fueled her magic shriveled away until she changed from the near-godlike Mistress of all Evil into a simple sorceress no more powerful than Regina had been. Maleficent was allowed to live, under the condition that she would harm no one in her life of house arrest in the Forbidden Fortress.

"We don't really have time now to get it," Leon said. "The sun's going down, and the wraith will be here in just a few hours."

"But we NEED that Keyblade!" Sora shouted. "Without it, we're screwed!"

"Guys! I have an idea!" Everyone turned to Yuffie, who was grinning like a madwoman. "I know how we can beat the wraith."

"We can't kill what's already dead, Yuffie," Leon said. "I think Merlin made that pretty clear already."

"Oh, you know what I mean Squall! I didn't mean _kill_ it! I meant we can lure it into the hat!"

"Leon."

"_What_?"

"For the last damn time, my name is _Leon_!"

* * *

"You sure about this?" David asked.

"For the tenth time," Leon grumbled. "Yes,"

"We just don't want you to get in harm's way because of…" Mary Margaret trailed off, not wanting to bring up the subject. _Because of the woman who ruined your lives_, they all knew what she meant.

"Trust me," Yuffie smirked. "There's a reason why back home, I was called 'the Great Ninja Yuffie'!"

"FYI," Cid whispered to the king and queen. "Only _she_ calls herself that."

"Hey!"

"Guys," Sora asked. "Are you ready? It's almost nightfall."

"You're right," Terra said. "We should take our positions."

Outside, Sora, Riku, Kairi, David, Cloud, and Terra, would be the first line of defense right outside the mayor's house, while Yuffie, Cid, Leon, Tifa, Ventus, Aqua, Lea, and Mary Margaret would enact, "Ninja technique number 375," according to Yuffie. Sora was dying to ask, but Yuffie dodged the question, saying that it would be a surprise (gulp). Right now, none of them where anywhere to be seen (double gulp). Meanwhile, Merlin, Emma, and Regina would try to get the Hat to work. Archimedes decided that since he could do nothing to help, he would stay a safe distance away from the place. Emma was thankful, because a talking owl would be the last push over the cliff that would make her admit she's insane. The sheriff asked what she could possibly do to help, but Merlin insisted that she had magic, and she could be of help to make the Hat work.

Sora noticed how David was looking a bit agitated, so he asked, "You okay James?"

"Hm, yeah," David said. "I just can't believe that after so long, after so much time, _she's_ back."

"Well that's a good thing, isn't it?" Sora asked. "Now you have a chance to be a family. I know it might be a bit complicated, with the age-thing and all, but family's still family."

David looked at his young friend gratefully, about to thank him when he spoke again. "You don't want to be here, do you?" Sora asked knowingly.

David frowned. "No, I don't. I don't understand why we're defending the one who ruined our lives, the reason why I lost my family."

"Hey man, you said it yourself, nobody deserves to die-"

"That was a long time ago," David said.

"Yeah, well that rule's still in effect," Sora grinned. "Plus, I have a feeling that whatever the wraith is gonna do is a whole lot _worse_ than death. Plus, she's Henry's mom-I mean adopted mom, but she's still his family."

David grumbled in reluctant agreement before wind began to blow violently in all directions, and the lights on the street lamps began failing. The horrible screams echoed in the night as one particular shadow approached the entrance to the mayor's house with a sinister desire in its approach.

"You ready?" Riku asked.

"I was born ready," Sora answered, and David chuckled, only to be cut short by the wraith's growing screams.

"Yahhh!" Cloud shouted as he charged, blade in hand. The wraith took a swipe at him, which he had anticipated. He ducked and rolled under the creature's floating body, and slashed at the fabric that cloaked it, causing it to scream. Cloud covered his ears in pain, trying to drown out that horrifying noise. Riku stepped in, and did the same before the wraith was able to hit his friend.

"Now!" Sora shouted, and he, David, Terra, and Kairi moved in, surrounding the wraith.

"We have it surrounded!" David shouted, and pretty soon, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when the creature merely floated over them, and to the door.

"You were saying?" Riku asked sarcastically.

"GO!" Yuffie's shout could be heard from the other side of town as she and everyone that she picked to take part in "Ninja technique 375" jumped out from seemingly nowhere, with torches in hand right as the wraith was at the door. They all surrounded the wraith, waving the lit brooms closer and closer, forcing it to back away, unknowingly into the house and closer to the Hat, which was not even close to working.

"Come on, come on," Merlin muttered as he tried to focus on spinning the Hat. "I can't get it to work…"

"Well hurry up, old man," Regina hissed, her heart racing with fear. "It's getting closer."

"Magic is different here…" Emma said. She suddenly grabbed the wizard's arm, still on the hat, and in an instant, its spinning became straighter, and the portal began to open.

Merlin laughed. "You did it! By Jove, you did-" he was cut short by the screaming wraith, which was only a few feet away.

"IT'S COMING!" David shouted.

"What now?" Emma said as her eyes widened at the undead fiend got closer and closer.

"Well, I believe now we RUN!" Merlin yelled. He, Emma, and Regina began to do just that, but as the wraith started getting sucked into the hat, out of pure instinct, it grabbed onto the closest thing it could.

Emma.

"NO!" Mary Margaret shouted as she ran with desperate speed towards her daughter falling through the hat. "I'M NOT LOSING HER AGAIN!"

"SNOW!" David, Sora, and Ven shouted at once as she jumped into the hat with Emma.

"Neither am I!" David ran to the portal too, only to find it shrink until it disappeared.

* * *

_I would have killed her_, David thinks to himself. He knows he would have. If there hadn't been so many people there to hold him back, he had no doubt he would have killed Regina.

He made sure to thank them all for that, because he knew Snow, Emma, and Henry would never forgive him if he gave into his anger. Everyone there walked David and Henry to Mary Margaret's house, where the two decided to stay. They were mostly silent on the way, until they made it there and Sora hugged David.

"I'm sorry," was all Sora said as he hugged his friend, and Kairi, Aqua, Tifa, even Ventus followed suit, because they all knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about.

"Thank you," he said to all of them. Everything David had done, here, and in the Enchanted Forest, he had done bravely, because he wasn't alone. Even when he was about to die, his beloved Snow, his loving mother, his wonderful friends, they all gave him strength.

Leon, Cloud, and Cid, of course, didn't hug, none of them even knew David personally, but they clearly were sympathetic to the man, and that was all David asked for. Merlin did the same, unsure of what to say because he wasn't all that good at comforting others.

Finally, Lea came up to David and clapped him on the back. "Don't worry guys, if there's one thing I know about your family, it's that they'll _always_ find each other," He smiled wryly as he turned to Henry, whom Lea could see was still doubtful and sad. "_Always_, got it memorized?"

Henry giggled a bit at the man's catchphrase, and the boy noticed it was the only time he smiled since the mob at Regina's.

"He's right Henry," Sora said. "There's always the chance that they'll come back, and if Emma's anything like her parents, then she'll be alright."

Henry nodded, and gave a quick hug to Sora. When everyone had said they're goodbyes, Henry remembered he had one last thing to say.

"Jake-I mean Sora?" Henry called out.

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

"I told you so," Henry grinned smugly, causing Sora to laugh.

**Okay, this story is becoming my new obsession, so you can expect quick updates, or as quick as I can make them, at least.**

**How did I do on the battle scene? That was my first time doing a fully-fledged fight scene. Okay, maybe not fully-fledged, but give me a break!**

**Also, and I making Lea say "Got it memorized" too much? I just think that's an epic line.**

**In "The Sword in the Stone", Archimedes was my absolute favorite character. The only owl that could be as boss as him is Hedwig from "Harry Potter".**

**Yeah, I know Jefferson is mentioned a lot here. I just like characters with questionable sanity, as I've mentioned, and I think that there's a lot of potential for the guy in my story. You'll be seeing him soon enough!**

**Don't forget, REVIEW!**


End file.
